


Life Itself

by cursedwurm



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Body Dysphoria, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gradual Romance, Mentions of Suicide, a couple of chapters based around grell's gender, flatmates, mentioned will/ronald
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-10-11 18:49:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10471644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cursedwurm/pseuds/cursedwurm
Summary: Finding out a coworker has been evicted is one thing, but having them decide to move in with you is another.The last thing Will wanted was to end up living with Grell Sutcliff of all people, and life seems to take a turn for the worst. It's bad enough being stuck with her at work, let alone at home too...But maybe having someone else around will do a little good for him. Maybe the company of the one person William T Spears despised the most would actually be one of the best things that could ever happen to him.





	1. Chapter 1

When William got home from work, he always did exactly the same thing- make himself dinner, shower, get ready for bed then go to sleep. He would've done other things if it wasn't for people like Sutcliff and Knox constantly giving him overtime. He tried not to let it bother him, but he had to admit that some variety in his life would be nice.

However, this was not what he'd meant by variety.

It was a Tuesday evening, much like any other, and he'd just arrived back at his apartment. The weather was appalling, and he took off his wet blazer and dumped it over a radiator to dry, before loosening his tie, sitting down on his couch and sighing. He felt tired as hell, but something told him that he'd drunk too much coffee that day as no matter how many times he closed his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to sleep. In the end he decided to pass the time by starting on his dinner, looking at his watch every so often, sighing when he saw that only a few minutes had passed. He rubbed his temple, adjusting his glasses before finding a knife to start preparing the vegetables. Minutes passed, and he was ready to start on the meat when there was a pounding at his door. 

He rolled his eyes, going to his door and wondering why anyone would be calling at this hour. He opened the door to an all-too-familiar reaper, standing in the rain and snivelling as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Sutcliff, what are you doing?" he asked, standing a few feet away from the door to avoid getting wet. She didn't answer him, practically throwing herself onto him and wrapping her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shirt as she cried. William raised an eyebrow, remaining stiff and upright and trying to ignore the fact that when she'd pull away his clothes would be stained with her makeup. "Sutcliff, get off of me," he said, his voice angry yet level. Grell sniffed as she pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she looked up at him.

"Will, I need your help...!"

"Nothing new there, I see," he mumbled, which only made her burst into tears once again. He sighed, waiting for her to calm down again before asking, "What did you do this time?"

"Oh, Will, they kicked me out!" she said softly, voice hoarse from crying

"Who did?"

"The people who apparently own my home!" she yelled, before lowering her voice again, choking out through her tears, "I didn't keep up with the payments on my apartment so they told me to leave or they would remove me by force!"

Ah, so she'd been evicted. He wasn't surprised. Pay was constantly being lowered- especially for those outside of management, and Sutcliff was the kind of person who would rather spend their money on frivolities than on their bills. After she'd properly calmed down, he led her to his sofa, sitting her down and saying, "What do you want me to do about it?"

Grell looked up at him, taking off her glasses and wiping the rain off of the lenses before putting them back on. "Well," she explained, "I was thinking that you live alone, and since you live close to work-"

"Don't even think of it," Will snapped, "You're not moving in with me."

"But-"

"Sutcliff, you got yourself into this, so you can be the one who gets you out," he answered coldly, standing up and going back to his front door, opening it fir her, "You may leave now."

 

Grell's bottom lip trembled, before she buried her head in her palms and started sobbing again, crimson-painted nails tangling in her hair as it fell over her face. "You're all I have left, Will!"

"I'm sure that's not true, Sutcliff," he said, "The door is here. You may use it."

Grell looked up at him, eyes wide, bloodshot and puffy. After a while, she stood up and sighed. "I understand," she said, seemingly pacified, "Sorry for wasting your time."

William was unsure when exactly it was that he changed his mind, but an hour later he found himself in the kitchen preparing a meal for two instead of one. Grell was on his sofa, her damp clothes replaced by his pyjamas as she lay asleep while he cooked dinner. He mentally cursed himself for being so soft as he heard her snoring softly from his living room.

 

He finished making dinner, bringing it on two plates and placing them on the dining table. He then went over to Grell, prodding her shoulder until she groaned and opened her eyes, sitting up on the couch and running a hand through her hair.

"Yes, William, dear?" she mumbled, to which he simply rolled his eyes.

"Dinner's ready," he stated, before turning around and seating himself and the table.

She joined him a few minutes later, his pyjama shirt sliding off her shoulder as she yawned, stabbing a carrot with her fork. The meal was eaten in absolute silence, save for Grell's few (and failed) attempts to start a conversation with him.  In fact, Will all but ignored her, eating in silence before washing up his plate and cutlery and going into the bathroom and locking the door. A few minutes later, Grell heard the shower turn on and she sighed, finishing her food before going to the kitchen and clearing up. It was strange- any other time, she would've found his hostility attractive, but now that it was at her expense she found it more of a turn off than a turn on.

After all the trouble she'd already made for him, she decided that it would be best if she slept on the sofa for the night instead of pestering him under the covers of his bed. Something told her if she tried that she would find herself without a roof over her head. So that night, she found herself laying on Will's couch once again, her neck at an uncomfortable and her legs curled up awkwardly as she was too tall to lie down properly. She probably would've complained if it wasn't for the fact that Will's scent still clung to the cushions. She spent a while lying awake, trying to ignore the pain in her neck as she saw the light coming from Will's bedroom turn off, plunging her into darkness.  Her eyes slowly adjusted and she slipped her hands into the pockets of Will's pyjama bottoms to keep them warm before closing her eyes, forcing herself to sleep.

Grell didn't know what the time was when she woke up, but she did know that she really  _really_  needed to use the bathroom. It was still dark and she couldn't hear anything except her own breathing, so she guessed that it was probably still the early hours of the morning. Standing up, she put on her glasses and stretched, hissing at the crick in her neck as she did. She made her way into the bathroom, blinking as she turned on the light before shutting the door. Once she'd finished using the toilet, she decided to take the chance to look around Will's bathroom.  _'It's not like he'll know that I'm in here,'_  she thought to herself as she started to go through his things. Much to her dismay, everything was much  as she'd expected it to be; his soap was unscented and his shampoo was just a basic brand that did nothing other than wash hair, his aftershave was cheap and weakly smelt of sandalwood and all of his other products just seemed to be the cheapest possible variety. With a sigh, Grell put everything back in its place and left the bathroom, turning off the light. 

She was about to go back to the couch when she paused by the door to Will's bedroom. If she listened hard enough, she could hear him breathing slowly and steadily and suddenly she become overcome with the urge to go inside. Was it a good idea? More to the point, did she actually give a damn whether it was or wasn't?  _'Of course I don't,'_ She silently told herself, opening the door as quietly as she could and taking as much as the decor as she could in the dim light. Just like the rest of his apartment, it was decorated very simply- there was a closet, a desk, bookcase, bedside table and obviously, a bed, in which Will lay fast asleep.

His glasses were in their case on the bedside table, and Will himself was laying on his side in a pair of grey pyjamas, one hand resting on the pillow beside his head and the other folding over the top of his duvet. His usually harsh features were softened, his lips parted and his body relaxed. It was strange to see him looking so strangely vulnerable and gentle. Grell stared down at him, liking it just a little too much for it to just be that she was intrigued by it. A few minutes, she went back to the couch, taking off her glasses once more and laying down, closing her eyes.

She slept much better after that. 


	2. Chapter 2

Gossip got around the London dispatch fast- it always had. Naturally, Will was one of the last people to find out that practically everybody, no matter their division, knew that he and Grell were sharing an apartment. Of course, while word of this had been spreading, the truth had been twisted to the point where it was just not true. Essentially, Will and Grell were sharing a couch. They were not becoming friends, dating, sleeping with eachother or any of the other ridiculous things that the members of the dispatch had suggested. Grell didn't appear to mind that everyone seemed to think that they'd suddenly become... Intimate with eachother. But why would she? After all, that's all she'd wanted since they'd graduated together.

Will thought he could put up with people constantly talking about him, but he reached his limit when at about half past two in the afternoon, Ronald Knox came into his office, slamming the paperwork from his most recent reap on his desk before demanding, "Where's the ring?"

William glared at him over his glasses, picking up what Ronald had given him and starting to look through it. "I don't know what you're talking about, Knox," he said, handing the papers back to him, "And you haven't put in nearly enough detail for this to be filed away."

Ronald grabbed his work and rolled his eyes. "Don't try to deny it, boss," he said, "The whole dispatch knows about it."

"Knows about what?"

"The engagement."

Will inhaled sharply, before adjusting his glasses and answering sharply, "Sutcliff was kicked out of her apartment so I'm letting her sleep on my couch," he stood up, going over to the door and holding it open, "We're not romantically or sexually involved in eachother and I want her out as soon as possible. You can get back to work now, Knox, and on your way out you can let everyone know that nobody is eloping any time soon- especially not me. Understand?"

"Yes, boss."

"Good." Will waited for him to leave before slamming the door to his office shut, sitting back at his desk and pressing a gloved hand to his temple in frustration. He hadn't expected to enjoy having Sutcliff live with him, but this was turning out much worse than he thought.

About a week later, Grell seemed to have returned to her normal self. She had decided to take half of his closet as her own and had turned his desk into a dressing table. He didn't like it, but he did find it entertaining how she made herself at home in his apartment in a matter of days. Why one person would ever need quite so many hair and skin products he would never know, but she didn't complain, and occasionally helped him make dinner when it was a recipe she knew. While it was too much like her getting comfortable in _his_ apartment, he couldn't help be appreciate the extra bit of help. However, dinner itself was Will's own personal hell. He restrained himself from telling her off too much, especially when she'd helped to cook the food, but some evenings it just got too much.

Dinner had barely started. It was a day much like any of the others that week, and they ate slightly earlier than usual that evening, as Grell had started on the food when she got home, and by the time Will got back from working overtime it was almost ready. He thanked her as she insisted that she finish making the meal while he got comfortable after a long day of work. To be honest, he should've seen this as a warning sign that things were about to go wrong, but after he'd so much extra paperwork to complete that day he was too tired to really notice. He sat himself at the table, slouching a little more than usual, running his hands through his hair and groaning. He didn't say anything Grell placed his food in front of him, but looked up at her and nodded in acknowledgement. She smiled, sitting opposite and twirling her pasta around her fork. "You okay there, William, dear?" she asked. Will nodded, not looking up her as he began to eat. He didn't think of her pet names for him as anything more than force of habit- after all, she'd been calling him things like this since they'd graduated, and after being stuck working with someone for over eighty years, it was the kind of thing you just had to get used to. 

It wasn't long before Grell set down her cutlery on her plate, frowning. "You seem tense," she observed, to which Will just rolled his eyes, continuing to eat as she went on, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Not unless you can work miracles," he muttered in reply, hoping that would get her to drop the subject. It didn't.

The last thing that he expected for her to do was to stand up, walk round behind him and start giving him a _fucking massage_. Will stiffened up, still holding his knife and fork in his hands. He stayed quiet for a while, which Grell seemed to take as a sign that he was perfectly okay with it- which he was most certainly not.

Eventually, he found it getting too much and quickly pushed her away. Grell looked somewhere between hurt and annoyed, folding her arms over her chest and frowning. "Grell, sit back down and finish your dinner," Will said as calmly as he could, going to the kitchen and clearing his half-eaten food into the bin. She watched him with her eyes narrowed, before doing as he asked.

"Well, sorry for trying to help," she snapped, "Next time I won't bother." 

Will rolled his eyes. "I'm going to have a shower," he told her, "If you really want to be helpful, you can get the washing up done before I come out." Grell opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, he had already gone into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

By far the worst part about living in the same apartment as Grell was the sheer amount of time she spent on how she looked. She looked exactly the same every morning when she came into work, so Will had thought that she would be able to get ready in a matter of minutes like he did. 

 

She woke up not long after him, got washed and dressed just as he did, before taking over his desk as she painted her nails the same crimson hue as her hair. She'd then spend the next ten minutes refusing to do anything as she waved her hands in the air in attempt to get the nail varnish to dry. By this time, William was usually ready to leave for work, but he refused to let Grell be the last person in his apartment in the morning. So, he found himself getting later and later for work as she spent about twenty minutes at his mirror using about ten different powders on her face.  When she was finally ready, he'd lock up, usually for Grell to realise that she'd forgotten something and make him let her back in. Occasionally it was something that she actually needed, but more often than not she'd run inside and come back with a tub of lip balm or something else that was equally as unimportant.

 The journey to work was silent. On some days, Grell seemed to accept that he wanted nothing to do with her, but on others she'd refuse to let go of his hand and clung onto him as if he was her life support. This wasn't exactly new, but it annoyed Will just the same. The tension between them was more than obvious, and every so often he'd wish that they could have a conversation, if only for the journey to be less awkward. So one day, Will decided to just do it, and, about halfway to work, turned to Grell and said, "Why do you take so long to get ready?"

Grell smiled a little, shrugging. "I want to look my best, William, dear," she told him, "Do you have a problem with that?"

He sighed, pausing before answering, "I don't see why you have to cover yourself in all that makeup. You look perfectly fine without it."

Suddenly, Grell stopped walking folding her arms and glaring. "What does it matter what you think?" She snapped, "I'm not wearing the makeup to please you, you know."

 

"I wasn't saying you were, Sutcliff," Will kept walking, staring straight ahead as he went on, "But you spend so long on something so unnecessary. It just doesn't make any sense to me."

He heard her heels click on the pavement behind him as she stormed up to him, fists clenched by her side. "Of course you wouldn't understand," she said briskly, "At least you were born in the body you wanted. Some people aren't so lucky, William; I'm just doing what I can to make myself feel more comfortable with what I'm stuck with."

"What you're stuck with?"

"My penis, William."

Will fell silent after that, pursing his lips and walking a little faster than before. He was more than grateful when the two of them went their separate ways for the day and he could disappear into his office.

 

The day passed much the same as any other, which didn't bother Will at all, and his paperwork was enough to take his mind off his conversation with Grell earlier that day for a while. However, by the time that his lunch break arrived, he could think of nothing but how she had glared at him that morning. So, instead of continuing to do work through his break, he decided to leave his office to apologise. Grell didn't have a reap until later that evening, so unsurprisingly he found her with Knox and Slingby, most likely complaining about what he'd said to her. He walked up to the trio, clearing his throat. 

"Mornin', boss," Knox said, grinning up at him. William decided to ignore both him and Slingby, regarding them with only a glare before turning his attention towards the red-headed reaper standing beside them.

"Sutcliff, I'd like to talk to you," he said, "In my office, now."

The clicking of her heels followed him as he made his way back to his desk, not looking up as the door to his office clicked shut and Grell stood before him, hands resting on her hips. "What is it?" She asked, making no attempt to hide her irritation.

Will sighed, adjusting his glasses as he said, "Quite frankly, I'd like to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Yes," he nodded, looking at her as she relaxed a little, "What I said this morning, I said without thinking, and I realise that I came off as rude and insensitive," he watched as Grell smiled, folding her arms and sitting down on his desk, "And I'm very sorry if I upset you."

 

Grell flicked her long red hair behind her, before leaning down closer to him. "Ah, what a gentleman you are, William, dear," she smiled in her usual sing-song tone, all annoyance in her voice now gone, "Admitting to your mistakes, how sweet of you."

"It's not sweet, it's just common courtesy," Will replied, about to dismiss her so he could get on with his work, but finding his words stuck in his throat as she grabbed him by his tie and pulled him forwards.

"You know, maybe as a thank you I could take you out for dinner tonight," she said, flashing her pointed teeth as she grinned down at him. William didn't answer, slapping her hand away from him, before going over to the door and opening it for her.

"I don't need you falling into debt by spending your earnings on things like that," he said sternly, "You may get back to work now, Sutcliff."

The crimson reaper let out a soft laugh, wrapping one arm around his waist and resting her other hand on his chest. "Ah, you're as cold as ever, William dear," she sighed, "You know exactly how to please a lady."

At this, William rolled his eyes, pushing her off of him, repeating sharply, "You may get back to work now, Sutcliff."

Getting the hint, Sutcliff left his office, and he shut the door quickly once she was gone, going back to his desk and rubbing his temple with his first two fingers. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he hated more- Grell being pissed off at him or Grell hanging off of him like her life depended on it. Either way, living with her certainly wasn't easy, but he'd adjust to it. 

 

Eventually.


	4. Chapter 4

William hated social events. It wasn't just because he didn't enjoy interacting with others, or because he found being in a large group of people boring. He also hated everything that went on behind the scenes of them- having to organise them, having to get people together in one place, having to lie about how glad he was that everyone could make it through gritted teeth for several hours straight. 

Naturally, when Grell told him that she wanted to host a gathering in his apartment, he was less than pleased. In fact, he was pretty much furious- the last thing he wanted was to have to deal with other members of the dispatch at one o'clock in the morning completely wasted in his apartment. 

However, when Grell told him that it would be a dinner party for the new graduates entering the Retrieval Division before they officially started work, he found it hard to object. After all, there was only so much damage that reapers fresh out of the Academy could do. Besides, it would probably do some good for his reputation if he showed up, so in the end, he allowed Grell to go ahead and plan this dinner party.

"On one condition," he told her, "All I do is show up. I'm not doing any of the work for you. Understand?"

"Of course I do, Will honey..." Grell answered, "Besides, I've already finalised it with everyone that's coming, so even if you said no it would still be happening."

William was fully aware that Grell would now focus on nothing but this dinner, so for the next month and a half, he found himself doing more overtime than usual due to her inability to concentrate on work at the same time. When he'd get home, she'd usually be in the kitchen making dinner by herself, and would refuse William's help, saying that if she were really to do everything by herself, she'd have to improve her cooking. In all honesty, he found how hard she was working rather endearing- usually the only thing she put any effort into was flirting and trying to get laid. Besides, it gave him a chance to relax in the evening, and he wasn't going to complain about that.

Grell had organised the dinner to be on her day off, so when Will left for work, she was still asleep on his couch. She had spent far more time in his apartment than he'd expected- it was coming up to three months and she still wasn't gone. In fact, with each day that passed she got more and more settled down in his home. All of her belongings had a place, and she'd bought some pillows and a red blanket to put on the couch she slept on using money that she'd "borrowed" from Will. He made a mental note to talk to her about it later, but for now he thought it best if he let her concentrate on this dinner party.

 

When he got home from work on the day, he heard the shower running and could smell something cooking in the kitchen. He took off his blazer, dumping it over the back of a chair before going into his bedroom and laying down on his bed. 

He heard the shower shut off, and moments later Grell came into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her under her arms. "Are you going to change?" She asked, opening the closet and looking through the clothes that were hers.

"Do I really have to?" Will said, "I'm already in smart clothes."

"Exactly," Grell picked out two different dresses before turning to face him, "The dress code's smart-casual, you look like you're going to work."

"Well, I was at work, so I don't-"

"Change," Grell told him, before holding each dress up against her in front of the mirror.

Sighing, Will did as she asked, swapping his waistcoat and tie for a dark blue blazer. "Is this better?" He said, already exhausted by this evening. Grell looked him over, before reaching up and running her hands through his hair, messing it up.

"Much better," she stated, before turning back around and dropping the towel wrapped around her to get dressed. Even though she was still wearing underwear, Will thought it best if he left the room out of politeness, shutting the door behind him. 

 

Everything for that night was set up- there were places set at the table, the apartment was clean and tidy and he could smell the food cooking in the kitchen. All in all, he was rather impressed by how well organised Grell was- if only she could be like this at work. There was now only fifteen minutes until guests were due to arrive, and Will decided to sit  on the couch and wait, just in case someone was to come early. A few minutes later, Grell came out of the bedroom, making her way to the kitchen, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. Will raised an eyebrow at her attire, standing up and following her, leaning on the doorframe at the entrance to the kitchen. The dress she wore was red- of course- sleeveless and figure-hugging, ending about a half of the way down her thigh. "If that thing were any shorter I'd be able to see your arse," he said dryly, to which Grell just tutted, pulling on the oven gloves she'd placed on the worktop and checking on the food. 

"You know nothing about fashion, William, dear," she answered, "Besides, I like it," She closed the oven door and flicked her hair behind her shoulders, walking up at him and leaning her head on his shoulder, "It makes me look hot..."

Looking away, Will mumbled, "I wasn't saying it didn't." It was true- even being born without a vagina and breasts, Grell was an extremely beautiful woman. She had a good figure and she knew it, and while he didn't approve of her dress length, he could certainly appreciate that she looked good.

"So you agree? You think I'm hot?" She asked, looking up at him and going to wrap her arms around him. Will thought it best if he didn't answer this one, pushing her away and leaving, signalling the end of the conversation. 

Not long after that, guests began to arrive. Grell got him to take everyone's coats, which he was grateful for since it meant he then wouldn't have to be the one greeting everyone. It wasn't that he was bad at socializing, so to speak, more that in order to do it he'd have to plaster on a smile and pretend that he cared.

Grell handed out glasses of champagne to each of them as they arrived, which Will politely refused himself, knowing he didn't mix well with any kind of alcohol.  While she socialized with the others, he thought it best if he kept an eye on the food  in the kitchen in order to make sure it didn't burn- and to stay out of everyone's way.

He enjoyed the peace and quiet while it lasted, keeping the door shut as he started to fix his hair which Grell had decided to mess. It was only a few minutes until someone came in, and he sighed as said someone decided to stand directly opposite him.

"You're Spears, right?" 

Will looked up to see a young reaper with strawberry blond hair pulled into a short ponytail, holding a cigarette between his teeth. He nodded, trying to avoid conversation at all costs, but finding he had no choice when the reaper held his hand out for him to shake. Will did so, and upon further inspection he realised what he was smoking wasn't a cigarette at all. 

"I'm Kingston Reid," he spoke with a thick American accent as he gripped his supervisor's hand tightly as he shook it before taking the blunt out of his mouth and blew smoke into the air around them.

"The transfer, right?" Will said, recognising his name. Kingston nodded, leaning against the kitchen counter. About half a year ago, he'd received a message from the Washington DC dispatch, saying that a reaper about to complete his time in the Academy had to be moved. He was never told why, but since London was so heavily understaffed, he didn't complain. There was a short silence, before Will coughed on the smoke that he was blowing out, glaring at him. "Do you have to do that inside?" He asked, doing his best to not show his annoyance, "It smells awful."

Rolling his eyes, Kingston put it out against the back of his hand. "I take it you don't enjoy socialising?" He said.

"No, I-"

"Then why aren't you out there?" Will glared as he gave him a lopsided grin, unable to come up with any response to him.

The next thing Will knew was being stuck in between Grell and Kingston, a glass of champagne in hand as he avoided the conversation. He wasn't following what they were saying, nor was he interested, so when he heard his name being said, he looked up in surprise, not expecting to be involved in the conversation at all. 

"So you and Spears are together?" It was one of the younger-looking reapers, who had been talking to Grell and drinking everyone else's alcohol for them. 

Will paused for a second, raising his brows, running what he'd just said through his mind before saying, "Excuse me?"

The young reaper looked up at him, cackling as he put down one of his champagne glasses. "You and Sutcliff are pretty close," he said, to which Will just rolled his eyes, ready to move on in the conversation- or in this case, drop it completely, when the reaper continued, "So who tops?"

At this, everyone but Will seemed to be laughing. The reaper was drunk, but it annoyed Will all the same, and he put down his own drink a little too quickly and ignoring the liquid that splashed onto his hand. "What's your name?" he asked sternly, doing his best to keep his voice calm.

"Antonio," the younger reaper, held out a shaky hand for him, which Will regarded with a look of distaste but didn't shake, "Antonio de Sousa."

There was a short silence, during which he glared at him, before adjusting his glasses and turning to Grell. "Sutcliff, make sure de Sousa doesn't have any more alcohol tonight," he told her, before looking back at Antonio and saying drily, "I hope you act more professional than this in the workplace." His scolding seemed to work as de Sousa said nothing more, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

Despite this, the environment did not get any better. If anything, William telling the reaper off had made it worse, and the atmosphere in the room was now tense and awkward. He picked up his champagne again, swirling the liquid in the glass and staring down into it with a frown. So far, the evening wasn't going to well, and it was pretty much his fault. He sighed, taking a sip of his drink, all too grateful when there was a bleeping from the kitchen, signalling that the food was ready. Grell told the others to take a seat at the table as William followed her into the kitchen, helping her take the food out of the oven and carry them in. He had to admit, he was surprised by just how much she had made, and equally surprised when he actually ate some, finding that it tasted pretty good too. 

Conversation started up again over dinner, and while Will didn't actually talk much, he didn't mind listening now that the focus was almost entirely off of him. Every so often, there would be a joke made, or someone would do something stupid, and Will would be unable to suppress a chuckle; thankfully no-one was able to hear him do something so out of character over Grell's roar of a laugh from the head of the table. No more alcohol had been consumed than necessary, and generally he was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the mood had picked up again. 

 

After everyone had finished, he helped Grell clear everyone's plates into the kitchen, starting on the washing up as she checked on the desert. "This isn't so bad now, is it, William?" she said with a smile, flicking her hair over her shoulder to keep it out of the way. Will only hummed in response, not looking up from what he was doing. He hated to admit it, but for once, she was right. While he wasn't having the night of his life, this dinner party that she'd decided to host was nowhere near as bad as he'd expected it to be- even if it had been awkward at first.

 

When Will got back to the table, Kingston was lounged across his chair and was smoking once again. He couldn't be bothered to bring it up, so he just sat down and pretended that it wasn't happening. 

"...I don't know how he hasn't noticed that I've been flirting with him since I got here," he'd been saying, "Apparently this is the first real responsibility he's had, but still..." he chuckled softly, taking a sip of his drink, "He's so oblivious, it's actually quite cute..."

Will didn't need a name to know who Kingston was talking of. Since Kingston had been that much further ahead in his training than the others at the London dispatch when he'd arrived from America, he'd thought it best if he completed his training separate from the others- and the only reaper who had enough experience and spare time to do so at the time had been Ronald Knox. Ronald, of course, leaped at the chance to have responsibility over someone for the first time, and Will wouldn't be surprised that he was still so excited by it that even he, one of the biggest flirts that Will knew, couldn't even notice what Kingston was doing. Not only that, but he was straight. Incredibly straight. 

William decided it best not to say anything, instead looking up as Grell bought out some kind of desert. Like the other food, it didn't look half as bad as he'd expected it to. Naturally, she'd filled it with some kind of fruit which made everything it touched look like it had been involved in a human sacrifice, and Will mentally cursed her as the once-white table cloth suddenly looked like a used bandage. All of this aside, the pie itself- which contained cherry and something else that Will couldn't quite put his finger on- was just as good as the rest of what she'd served. More conversation was had, as well as another bottle of champagne opened, but Will refused a second glass, deciding that it was too late to continuing drinking. 

It was about another half hour before the evening ended, and by then, Will was quite happy to be saying goodbye to them. There was only so much interaction and noise he could handle at a time, and it was getting quite late. As Grell waved the last of the reapers off, Will went to the kitchen and started on the washing up, knowing that he'd go mad if dishes were left unwashed overnight. "How was that, dear?" he turned to see Grell stood in the doorway, taking off her heels and yawning.

"Not bad," William answered, watching her as she joined him by the sink, rubbing her eyes. "You should get to bed," he told her, "I don't need you falling asleep tomorrow at work."

"Oh, how considerate, darling," Grell gave him a grin, and before he could respond, she leaned up and kissed his cheek, "I'll see you in the morning, William," she sang, leaving the kitchen, not giving him a chance to push her away or give her his usual look of disdain.

But in all honesty, even if she had, Will probably still wouldn't have done it. Just this once, anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a few uses of 'fag' and 'tranny' in this one. Idk if that affects any of you but in case it does here's your warning. :)

As Dispatch Supervisor, it was not William's role to get involved in others' personal affairs. That was, until, it got in the way of their work. Then, he had to step in and give them a 'warning', or when it came to Sutcliff, a smack round the back of the head. Over the years, he had developed a list of reasons that he usually did so. Late paperwork, violating uniform code more than usual, not coming to his office when asked to, not doing her overtime, and his least favourite of all of them, spending more time in the human world than needed.

It didn't take a genius to figure out why she did this. She only ever did it on certain reaps, and from overhearing her talking to the other reapers about it, he could easily figure out what- or rather who- was taking her so long. Sebastian Michaelis.

William disliked demons anyway. They were sadistic, bloodthirsty creatures who were only ever out for themselves. Fortunately, he'd only ever had the displeasure of meeting two: one had buggered off back to Hell where it belonged, but the other... The other had stuck around for far longer than he'd thought, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that Grell was just as fixated on winning its affection as she was with winning his. When she arrived back at his office to report late, he could practically smell the demon on her, and it drove him insane.

William wasn't the jealous type. He wasn't envious of the time she spent around that demonic scum. He was just angry that she'd let her attempts to bed it take priority over her work.  He was angry that she'd come back to do her paperwork with a stupid, love-sick look in her eyes, and would remain distracted the entire day. It was even worse now that they were living together. She would sit down at the dinner table, leave her food practically untouched before talking to him about a 'certain someone'. She would never mention any names, but he knew exactly who she was talking about. 

It had been a long day- William had stayed behind at work to do an hour and a half of overtime to make of for the time he'd lost after Grell had done the bare minimum on her paperwork in order to daydream and drool over Michaelis. He had been grateful when she told him to not worry about dinner that evening, and hoped that she would return to normal soon. She pushed her food around her plate for a while with a small smile on her lips for the first five minutes of dinner. After a painfully awkward silence, she looked up at him and asked, "William, how do you think a woman should win a man's affections?"

Will raised an eyebrow, frowning. "If this is about who I think it is," he snapped, "Then you should know by now that you're wasting your time." He stabbed a piece of pasta, glaring at her over his glasses as he leaned over the table closer to him.

"Really?" Grell said, standing up as she rested her hands either side of his plate, not understanding the concept of personal space as usual, "Because I think my chances with him have got better recently."

"He hates you."

"Does he?"

"Yes." Will avoided eye contact with her at all costs, pulling his plate closer to him in fear that her hair would start trailing in the marinara sauce. He adjusted his glasses, waiting for her to go back to her seat. When it became apparent that she wasn't going to, he gripped his plate and stood up, about to leave. Before he could go, he felt Grell grab his arm, and he turned back round with a sigh. 

"Does he really though?" she pouted, her red lip gloss catching the light as she spoke, "Because I think he's beginning to like me."

William inhaled sharply, composing himself to avoid shoving her out of the way. Finally, he replied, "He thinks you're repulsive and clingy," he went to clear his plate into the sink, having suddenly lost his appetite, and continued, "If you want some advice, then here it is. Stop trying so hard to bed someone who doesn't want anything to do with you."

"But, Will-"

"I'm going to bed now, Sutcliff," he said, "You should do the same soon." 

 

As the door to the bathroom slammed shut, Grell sighed, finishing her food before starting on the washing up as she heard Will turn on the shower in the bathroom. She though about that day, and how she'd acted, before concluding that she wasn't the problem- Will was just totally and utterly clueless. Unsurprisingly, the journey to work the next day was silent, with Will striding ahead of Grell in order to avoid her completely. Once again, he told himself that he was  _not_ jealous of how the crimson reaper spoke of that accursed demon, nor did he believe her when she had said that she felt like she had a chance with it. He was  _not_  in any way, shape or form, wanting her obsession with it to end- and even if he did he was  _not_  wanting that attention to go him. Not at all.

Grell was on multiple reaps that day, and her work went into the evening, so he didn't have to actually interact with her. In fact, he was home without her after work for the first time since they'd started living together that evening. He decided to get started on dinner by himself, enjoying the peace and quiet he had while it lasted. It was quite strange- he'd gotten used to having Grell flitting to and fro in his kitchen over the last few months, and as much as it usually annoyed him, he missed her incessant humming as she cooked. He missed the way her heels clicked on his floor. He missed her sing-song voice and her shrill laugh. He missed having someone else in the apartment with him. He never thought he'd think this, but he actually didn't mind having someone else around. In fact, Grell's company at home was nowhere near as bad as her company at work. He wasn't starting to like her, or enjoy having her living with him; that was too much like friendship, and if there was one thing that William T. Spears didn't do, it was friendship.  He was, however, starting to gain respect for her, and found himself appreciating her a lot more than he used to- and not just because she often cooked for him. While he knew that he'd never fully understand Grell, Will was starting to learn more about her just by observing. She had little habits that fascinated him, like how she'd fiddle with her glasses chain when she was concentrating, or how she'd braid her hair when she was bored. He had to emphasise that this did  _not_  mean he was starting to like her- more to himself than anyone else. No, it was merely interesting, and that was all it ever would be.

 

When Grell finally came home it was much later than usual and William had already eaten. She was quiet and subdued, fiddling with her hair in an agitated manner as she completely ignored him, going straight into the bathroom. He thought it best not to say anything- depending on how bad a mood she was in, she could be anywhere from annoying to dangerous, and he wasn't about to risk anything to cheer her up.

Minutes turned to hours and evening turned into night as he waited for Grell to come out. It got to the point when Will was so tired he struggled to keep his eyes open, realising he had no choice but to talk to her. To his surprise, the bathroom door was not locked. He still knocked on it a few times first, and when no answer came, he was ready to go in and tell her off, since she'd probably fallen asleep in the bath- or at least,that was what he thought until he heard sobbing coming from the other side of the door. He hesitated, eyes widening. when she did get upset, she would usually either be incredibly happy or incredibly angry after, and in fear of what she'd do to his bathroom if it were to be the latter, he decided that he shouldn't just leave her in there by herself. He opened the door slowly, hesitating as he saw her sitting down on the floor, her waistcoat and shirt laying beside her. "Leave me alone, William..." she choked out, not looking up at him as he entered the room, kneeling down beside her. 

"How can I leave you alone when you're like this?" he said, doing his best to keep his voice gentle to hide his annoyance.

"Don't pretend you care all of a sudden," Grell finally made eye contact with him, wiping her eyes and smearing her makeup across her face, "Just... go away."

William didn't do as she asked, standing up and taking her makeup wipes from the window sill and handing one to her. "What's wrong?" he asked, watching as she took the wipe from his hand and tossed to one side, burying her face in her palms.

"You wouldn't get it..."

"Well, I don't know about that-"

"You wouldn't get it, Will," Grell repeated, looking up at him and raising her voice, "I've tried to talk to you about this before, but you never understand, and you never could."

"How do you know that for sure?" Will was starting to get irritated by now, but stayed by her all the same, "I don't even know what you're talking about, Grell."

Grell didn't answer, sighing as she took the packet of makeup wipes from him, taking out another and wiping the mascara streaked down her face. She then picked up her shirt, pulling it over her arms but not doing it up. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, she muttered, "I hate my body."

Will pursed his lips, suddenly realising that she was talking about her gender. It had been about fifty years since she'd first told him that she was a woman, and out of all the people in the London dispatch, he was one of the first people to accept her. He'd let her go against the uniform code so that she could wear feminine clothing and feel more comfortable in her own body. But after all that, she was right; it wasn't something that he could understand the feeling of himself. A few moments passed, before he said, "Did something happen at work today?"

Grell shook her head, sniffing and leaning against him, closing her eyes as she continued to cry into his blazer. "I just hate myself sometimes," she said, "I don't feel... right..."

He stiffened as she pressed her face against him, but upon hearing this, he sighed, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to him. Grell was cold to the touch, shivering against him. He didn't know how to comfort her, so he stayed quiet, sitting on the bathroom floor with her in his lap. After a while, she pulled away,wiping at her ruby lipstick smudged on the collar of his blazer with her sleeve. "Do you think I'm..." he voice trailed off as she pulled her shirt around her chest, as if trying to cover it up, "A fag?"

William shook his head immediately, frowning. "Of course I don't, why would I-?"

"You hate me," she retorted, pushing him away and grabbing her waistcoat off the floor, "Why are you even bothering to be nice to me?"

"Grell, I don't-"

"You said so last night," she snapped, "You said I was repulsive and clingy and that you don't want anything to do with me!" By now, her voice was raised and she was tearing up again, voice wavering and bottom lip trembling.

Will opened his mouth to answer, before pausing, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't say that," he said, becoming agitated, "And I don't think that you're a fag, or a tranny, or anything else like that, okay?"

She was quiet for a few seconds, looking him in the eye sceptically before asking, "Then what do you think I am? Faking it? An attention whore?" Because that's what others seem to think."

"I think you're a woman," he told her, "And I don't think what anyone tells you or what's down there," he gestured to her crotch, "Changes that."

Again, Grell stayed quiet, bunching up her waistcoat in her hands as tears started streaming down her face. She flung herself into Will's chest, sobbing against him once more. He sighed, embracing her tightly as she apologised over and over, mumbling, "You can have my bed for the night..." She shook her head, but didn't protest as he lead her into his room, "You've had a long day." He continued, handing her one of her nighties from the drawer, "You need this bed more than I do." Out of politeness, he turned to face away from her as she changed, about to leave the room when he heard her let out a soft laugh. "William?"

"Yes?" he turned back round to see her dressed, placing her clothes on the bed.

"If you don't find me 'repulsive and clingy', then what did you mean last night?" she asked as she sat at his desk-turned-dressing table and starting applying some kind of cream to her face.

"I was talking about Michaelis..." Will answered, pausing, before asking, "Who were you talking about then?"

 

Grell didn't reply, getting into his bed, taking off her glasses and pulling the covers over her. "You're hopeless," was all she said, before switching off the lamp and plunging the room into darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

Months turned to seasons and Spring turned to Summer and Grell was still living with Will- although it was starting to get to the point where he didn't actually care anymore. Her whims no longer annoyed him as much as they used to, her over the top morning routine didn't really bother him anymore and generally, she was becoming more and more tolerable. He could even go as far as to say that they were friends now- though that would be a stretch.

There was only really one problem now, and it was a problem that William had tried to ignore time and time again. As his opinion on her in general changed, so did his opinions on their relationship change. He wasn't quite sure why, but he found himself getting a lot more nervous than he used to around her. Of course nothing was different at work, but at home she had made it clear that she was no longer just a visitor sleeping on the couch. She'd made it clear that she wasn't leaving any time soon, and it made William uncomfortable. Not the 'I don't want you here please leave' uncomfortable, but the 'Please don't get too close or I might do something stupid' uncomfortable.

Will hardly ever got days off. As Dispatch Supervisor, he got a choice between taking two days off throughout the year or a weekend off every two. Why this was, he'd never bothered to find out, since headquarters were probably busier with other, more important, things. So when he woke up and realised that he wouldn't have to be at work for another twenty four hours, he couldn't help but smile to himself. He rolled over in bed, closing his eyes, ready to go back to sleep when he heard knocking on the door. He groaned as Grell came in, still in her nightie, her glasses wonky on her face. "William, shouldn't you be up?" she asked, her voice raspy from where she'd just woken up. William shook his head, explaining that he didn't have work that day and that she'd be going by herself- only to receive the answer, "I'll take the day off too."

"No, that's not necessary," he propped himself up on his elbows, sighing in annoyance as she sat down on the duvet next to him and stretched.

"But I hate the thought of you being locked up inside all by yourself," she lay her head down on the pillow, seemingly not noticing as Will shuffled away from her, his face a little redder than before, "Let me keep you company, dear." William wanted to protest, but realised that Grell would probably remain stubborn about it, so in the end he just let her curl up in his bed, her glasses falling down her face. Will stared at her, at first irritated by how she was just laying there without him saying she could. But as she slowly fell back asleep, he felt his anger melt away; Grell looked gentle and at peace, her lips parted as she slept beside him. Her chest rose and fell steadily, and William found watching her somewhat bewitching. He was fully aware that Grell was hardly ugly, but right now, 'hardly' seemed like the wrong way to describe her. The way her hair fell around her and her nightie sleeve had slipped off her shoulder... He hated to admit it to himself, but he really did find her attractive like that.

Will must have fallen asleep at some point, as the next thing he knew was that he was opening his eyes to an empty bed and a fresh mug of coffee sitting on his bedside table. As he breathed in, he smelled the familiar scent of bacon frying and stood up, stretching as he made his way to the kitchen. Sure enough, there was Grell, standing by the stove in her nightie with her hair tied up out of the way, cooking breakfast for the two of them.

"I see you're finally up, sleepyhead," Grell smiled, turning to face him.

"Don't call me that," Will mumbled, running a hand through his hair and standing beside her, "Why are you cooking?"

"Well, we're not going to eat the bacon raw, are we?" She gave him a grin, before turning the bacon over in the pan. Will couldn't help but roll his eyes at this, watching as she put pieces of bread in the toaster and got two plates from the cupboard.

"You know what I mean," he said drily, "Why aren't you just letting me cook? And why are we having this instead of just toast?"

Laughing, Grell prodded the bacon a few times, shrugging. "Since you don't get many days off, I wanted to make this special," she told him, "Do you have any idea of what you want to do today?"

"Nothing."

"You don't have any plans?"

"I plan to not do anything," Will said, picking up his plate as she served up the breakfast, taking it to the table, "I don't remember the last time I actually relaxed, so I'm not going to worry myself by making a timetable." Grell nodded, sitting opposite him, resting her chin in her palm and gazing across the table at him. They made eye contact for a few seconds, and he could've sworn that they were the most awkward two seconds of his life. "What are you staring at?" he asked, somewhat sceptically.

"You're pretty with bedhair..." she answered, smiling to herself and curling a strand of her crimson hair around her index finger. Will didn't say anything back to her, tutting and rolling his eyes. 

"I look unprofessional..." He muttered, glaring at her as he cut up his bacon and stabbing it violently with his fork.

Grell nodded, laughing softly. "Exactly," she said, "You're always so strict and cold, and as attractive as that is, I never get to see you like this. Will was about to speak when she interrupted him, sighing happily as she continued, "It's nice to see you like this for once, William... you never get a chance to relax." Will decided it best if he didn't talk, letting her ramble on about how well-deserved this break was. It was clear she was just trying to flatter him, so he blocked out the sound of her voice as much as possible. Once he'd finished eating, he stood up to clean his plate, only to have Grell snatch it out of his hands. "Let me do that for you, dear," she grinned. Naturally, Will didn't object at all, happy to have her doing the work for him. She hummed to herself as she washed up, and he smiled to himself, watching her for a few minutes before going into the bathroom and running himself a bath. 

William couldn't remember the last time he had he bath. He usually just showered first thing in the morning, and if he'd been working outside of the office, one in the evening too. It was nice to just be able to sit in the water, close his eyes and relax. He couldn't fall asleep in the bath, but he could just forget about work and life and everything else for the next twenty minutes. Well, everything else except for the crimson reaper in his apartment on the other side of the door. He could still hear her singing to herself from his bedroom next door, so he assumed that she was probably pampering herself in front of his mirror again, which he really didn't mind since she was taking a day off too. It was strange, how his opinion of Grell had changed over the months they'd been living together. When he thought of her, it was no longer to wonder how many times she'd been in trouble, or how much he'd have to tell her off later. Instead, he usually looked forward to being with her in the evening, and spent his journey home from work hoping that their conversation wouldn't get too weird. He recalled all the times they'd spoken about things that weren't to do with Sutcliff's seemingly never-ending lust for him, and the more he thought about it, the more he realised that recently this had become less and less common. He continued to think of their life together when he left the bath, wrapping the towel around his hips as he went into his bedroom. Surely enough, Grell was sat at his desk, doing her nails. "Did you enjoy your..." she didn't manage to finish her sentence, her words trailing off as she looked at him, her face turning red. "Oh... you're..."

"I'm what?" Will raised an eyebrow in annoyance, folding his arms over his bare chest. Grell was quiet for a while, looking him up and down before he realised what she'd been staring at- him. "Sutcliff, you may leave my bedroom now," he said, not quite coming off as authoritative as he would've liked. When she didn't move, he sighed, standing over her, gritting his teeth, trying to ignore her expression of shock as he continued to glare down at her. "Did I stutter, Sutcliff? Get out of my bedroom."

At this, Grell smiled, standing up in front of him. He swallowed as she rested her hands against his chest, backing up until he hit the wall. "Ah, you're as aloof as ever, dear..." she said, "It's so charming..."

"Sutcliff, what are you doing?" he hissed, his voice wavering a little as her fingers wandered up his torso before resting on his shoulder. It was bad enough that he was wearing literally a towel, but to but stuck pushed up against the wall with her face getting closer to his... his cheeks burnt, but to his surprise, he wasn't actually embarrassed. In fact as much as he wanted to, he couldn't even bring himself to push her away, somewhat hypnotised by her gleaming green eyes under the scarlet frames of her glasses. "Sutcliff, I-"

"I do have a name, you know," she said, frowning a little.

"Fine, _Grell_ ," Will continued, "I don't know what you're doing, but I'd appreciate it if you'd..." he stopped halfway through his sentence, earning a raised eyebrow from Grell. He was about to ask her to get off, but the more he thought about it, the less he wanted it. God, why was he so confused? Why was he not annoyed at her? Why wasn't he trying to push her away? _Why did her lips looks so damn inviting?_

"If I'd what, William?" Her voice was soft and gentle; it almost put him at ease and he could feel himself relaxing beneath her touch. He swallowed, staring her dead in the eye, unsure how he should respond to her. He shivered, still damp from the shower, and it was then that he suddenly realised how close Grell was to him- while the only thing covering him was his towel.

Almost instantly, he shoved her away, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest as he looked at her and took in her wide eyes and hurt expression. He stepped away from the wall, taking out some clothes and staring her down until she turned away to leave. He got dressed, brushing his hair neatly out of his face and putting his glasses back on, before letting Grell re-enter. She practically ignored him, going to the wardrobe and looking through it with a pout on her painted red lips. "Can I borrow one of your jackets tonight?" she asked flatly, as if trying to deny the fact that she was even talking to him.

"Why?" Will's voice sounded much the same, but he couldn't care less.

"I'm going drinking with the boys this evening," she explained, "And we're bringing that nerd from Forensics with us."

"Which one?"

"Othello."

"He can drink?"

"No, he'll be the one making sure we don't wake up in someone else's bed- especially a strangers."

"Oh," He picked up a book from his desk, sitting on his bed with the back against the headboard, "Do you do that often then?"

Grell thought for a moment, putting the dress she'd been holding back in his closet and sitting at the foot of the bed, crossing one leg over the other. "Someone else's bed, yes," she told him, "But not a stranger's." At this, Will looked up from what he'd been reading, blinking a few times at what she'd just said.

"You've slept with other reapers?" he asked, suddenly feeling annoyed. He wasn't passing judgement on her sexual life, but he did feel that same feeling that had bubbled up inside him when she'd spoken about that bloody demon. He marked his page as she nodded casually, as if it were no big deal. "Who?" He demanded, putting the book away.

"Oh, there's been quite a few," she shuffled back on the bed so that she was laying beside him, "But I have my favourites- the ones I keep coming back to- and that's why we go out in a group together. We can always count on each other for a little action." Will didn't say anything, and when he stayed quiet, she huffed and took one of his blazers out of the closet, ignoring him entirely. After a while, she spoke up again, crossing her arms. "Why does it matter to you who I sleep with?"

"It doesn't," he said, "Why would it?"

"You look uncomfortable whenever I bring it up," Grell sat back down on the bed, "Don't deny that it bothers you, dear."

"I'm not uncomfort-"

"Are you jealous?" There it was. The question that Will had been dreading all this time. He hadn't thought about it before, but the word pretty much summed up how he felt. The thought of other people that he knew- people he looked down on- in bed with her, their filthy hands touching her body, made him feel sick. He knew he shouldn't be judging anyone for this but he couldn't help it. He couldn't help but feel as if she deserved something more than just casual partners that didn't mean a thing. She deserved to have someone who she could rely on- not just for sex but for everything else too. William didn't know why he was jealous like this, but he didn't like it. Adjusting his glasses, he let out a sigh and stood up to leave. "I don't know why that matters," he stated sharply, "You should start getting ready for this evening."

Grell opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, he slammed the door shut and was gone, leaving her alone in the bedroom once more.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm about half way through my exams and I just managed to write a chapter inbetween revising.   
> Also there are mentions of suicide in this chapter. Just a quick warning.

Grell had told William that she'd be home no later than about eleven that night. When eleven came and she still wasn't back, he started to worry. When half past eleven came, he wondered whether or not he should go looking for her. At twelve, he put on a coat and jacket, ready to leave, only for there to be a loud pounding on the door. He couldn't help but relax a little, going to answer it. Sure enough, Grell stood outside the door, her heels in her hand. Behind her was Eric and Kingston, who was struggling to hold a very intoxicated a looking Ronald upright. "You're late," he stated as she came in, before looking the others up and down. "Tell Knox he can have the morning off tomorrow," he said, "I don't want to deal with him hungover." Before either of them could answer, he shut the door, locking it and looking over at Grell, who had sat herself down on the couch. "Are you drunk?" He asked.  
"Me? Drunk?" She let out a cackle, standing up shakily as she did, "I only had a few glasses." So she was drunk. Great. She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her breath smelt of rum and he wrinkled his nose, pushing her away.  
"I take it that Othello didn't do his job" he said, holding her at arms length and trying to avoid breathing in through his nose. Again, Grell laughed, nodding and batting his hands away.  
"He's older than he looks," she said, "But he's so lightweight, almost as much as Ronnie. Poor boy had to go home at nine."

 

William sighed, adjusting his glasses and going to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. "Sounds like your night was rather eventful," he said, "I hope you didn't do anything too stupid." She shrugged as she took the glass from him, taking a sip.  
"That really depends on what your definition of stupid is, darling."  
Will inhaled sharply, folding his arms with a frown. "What did you do?"  
"Well..." Grell went to sit on the couch, putting the glass down on the coffee table, "I made out with someone... I don't remember who, though... I won a drinking game, that was boring... I got a tattoo on my-"  
"A tattoo?!" Will raised his voice a little louder than he would've liked, eyes widening slightly.  
"Yes, a tattoo," she answered, as if nothing about what she'd said was alarming, "Do you want to see it?"

  
William opened his mouth to say no, but Grell was already undoing the zip down the side of her dress. He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting to see- he hoped that whatever she'd had inked into her skin would be subtle and easily covered up for work, but this was Grell, and while there were many things that Grell was, subtle certainly wasn't one of them. She could have anything. When she slipped her dress off her shoulders he prepared himself for the worse, and God, did he need that preparation. The tattoo was a pattern of red roses and ivy that climbed up her left arm from the wrist all the way up to her shoulder. It had been made to look like watercolour paint, with skulls worked into the design of the leaves and petals, covering most of her back. At first, he relaxed, thinking she'd be able to cover it up, before noticing that the ivy climbed over her shoulder and up the side of her neck as well, which she would not be able to covered up with her shirt. He stared for a few moments, lips parted in shock. "What do you think?" Grell asked.

  
William continued to examine the tattoo. All uniform code violations aside, it was rather attractive to look at- well designed and well-drawn. The red and green stood out beautifully against her milky skin. After a few seconds' hesitation, he finally answered. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be."  
Grell let out a laugh, pulling her dress back up onto her shoulders. "I knew you'd like it," she smiled, picking the glass of water from the coffee table. She played idly with her hair, braiding a few strands together before pulling it out and starting over. William went to leave, but before he could, she called him back. He sighed and sat beside her, not wanting to irritate her like this. He didn't complain when she took his hand or rested her head on his shoulder. He really didn't mind this- besides, it wasn't like she'd remember in the morning.

There was a short silence, and he knew that if he wasn't careful he'd probably end up falling asleep with her on top of him. He was about to stand up when Grell, looked up and his said, "Will, dear?"  
"Yes?"  
"Why did you... you know?"  
William raised an eyebrow. "Why did I what?" he asked, "Let you stay here?  
"No," she said, "Why did you kill yourself?" Will pursed his lips- reapers didn't just ask eachother that, it was quite a sensitive subject no matter who you were. But, like everything else, it wasn't like Grell would remember it in twelve hours time. So, he sighed, adjusting his glasses.  
"I don't remember the exact year," he explained, "Some time during the mid-seventeen-hundreds, I believe. I was a part of a relatively wealthy family, and like everyone else at the time, I was a part of a betrothal that I didn't really agree to..." he sighed as she played with the hem of his shirt, "I was married by seventeen, had two children by twenty. I told myself that it would get better, but nothing seemed to change. A few years after child number four, the people in the town that our family had control over decided they'd had enough of us in charge. I guess that was the trigger... I decided that it could only go downhill and so I... hung myself." He practically choked out the last two words, swallowing and looking down at Grell. Her lips were parted slightly, her eyes wider then usual- she seemed quite troubled by what he'd told her, and he regretted opening up instantly.

  
Nothing was said for a few moments. The quietness was broken by Grell, who forced a smile, making eye contact with him. "That's probably a better reason than why I did it," she told him.  
"Why?" he asked, "What happened to you?" William knew that he really shouldn't be doing this, but just as he'd told himself before, she wouldn't remember saying any of this come the morning.  
"In life I was a criminal," she told him, "Mostly theft, but murder wasn't beyond me-" she laughed, "-it still isn't. But when I found out that the authorities had located me, the last thing I wanted to do was to die in the hands of people I hated. So I did it myself." She shrugged, as if it was no big deal, "Come to think of it now, I probably could've escaped if I'd tried hard enough." Will didn't answer, and she softened her tone, sensing his discomfort. "Do you want to go to bed?"  
William nodded standing up and going to his bedroom, muffling a yawn with his hand. He changed into his nightclothes, turning his back as Grell did the same. When she slipped into bed beside him, he really couldn't be asked to tell her off. When her hand rested on his hip and she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, he thought it best not to push her away. And when he went to sleep with her breath tickling his neck and her body pressed up against his under the covers, he liked it a little more than he'd care to admit.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all my exams/ trips are over now updates will once again be more frequent :)

For Will, Summer was by far the worst part of the year. It wasn't so bad for others- those in Retrieval were outside getting some fresh air, the uniform for the Forensics division was relatively thin, and Administration were allowed to take off their blazers when it got too warm. However, William was stuck in his stuffy office in his full suit, usually tired or dehydrated. He didn't dare take off his blazer in case someone were to come in- that would be unprofessional. The other thing he hated about Summer was the fact that others got more time off. This was the only time that he was jealous of those below him. As Dispatch Supervisor, he was required to remain at work all the time. Normally he'd complain about this as it placed everyone else's paperwork on him, but in the with the hot July sun beating through his window he could barely think.

 When his shift finished, he was more than happy to go home. He tried to do less overtime in the Summer months- if he did, he'd probably go insane.

Grell was always back before he was, and as the weather got hotter, her attire at home became... Less.

In the slightly cooler evenings, she'd wear a short summer dress- most were either polka dotted or printed with some kind of red fruit or flower. She suited them, he thought, probably a lot more than he suited his own clothes. However, some days when the temperature was probably in the low thirties, he'd get hone to find her sprawled across the couch in even less. It was distracting to say the least. Most days she'd be in one of his shirts (which annoyed him greatly) and a pair of shorts (which he didn't mind so much as she hadn't 'borrowed' them from his closet), and it was on those days that he'd be able to talk to her normally but be unable to stop himself from glancing at her every so often- it really wasn't normal to have legs that good.

Then there were the days when it was too hot for even that- he'd come home to find her standing on the balcony of his bedroom, covering as little as she could with sunglasses over her face and a drink in her hand. Her 'outfits' usually consisted of a thin piece of material that she'd wrapped around her hips to make some kind of skirt and something to cover her chest, and seeing her like this made William somewhat embarrassed. Even so, he told himself that just because Grell was attractive, the didn't mean he was attracted to her.

She was dressed as such on a particularly hot evening, when William arrived back at the apartment feeling like utter _shit._ The air conditioning at work had apparently been broken and when he opened the windows he realised that it was actually warmer outside than it was inside. In a matter of hours, his hair had started to become unkempt and the odd curl stuck to his forehead. He was fully aware of the sweat patches on his clothes and about an hour before he'd left, he'd suddenly become extremely dizzy and had to spend ten minutes doing nothing while he returned to normal. Knowing that Grell would be on the balcony, he took off his blazer, waistcoat and tie, undid the top button of his shirt and rolled the sleeves up, joining her outside. She was wearing her make-shift wrap skirt as usual with a shirt, the ends of which were tied together just under her chest. She turned to face him as he joined her, letting out a sigh. "You look exhausted, William dear," she smiled, almost teasingly, "Why haven't you changed into something else?"

"Like what?" he said flatly, "A flimsy piece of material like that?" He gestured down to what Grell was wearing, and she threw her head back and laughed.

"Now that would be a sight," she flicked her hair out of her face behind her back, sipping her glass of water, "Though you should probably get out of those trousers and into something shorter. They look awfully warm."

Will shook his head. "I'm not confident like you are," he told her, "Besides, if I have my skin on show for more than a few minutes I start to burn." Grell stepped a little closer to him, chuckling to herself. The two of them stood beside eachother, looking down at the empty streets below them. No words were exchanged, and when Will felt Grell's hand take hold of his, he didn't fight against it. He looked down at their intertwined fingers, feeling his cheeks redden slightly. Thankfully, she didn't notice, and he gently squeezed her fingers in his.

 

He didn't notice how much time had actually passed until the sun started going down and Grell let out a yawn. She pulled her hand out of his gentle grasp, turning to go back inside. "I'm going to get start on dinner, love," she said, switching her sunglasses for her regular ones, "I'm not going to make anything too complicated, I hope that's okay with you." Will smiled at her, going back inside as well.

"I'll help-" he said, following her back inside, only for her to stop him before he could even leave his own bedroom.

"No," she interrupted him, "You're going to have a bath."

"A bath?"

"You smell like you've never heard of deodorant," she told him. He didn't argue with her further, realising that she was probably right.

 

Will locked the bathroom door before stripping, running himself a bath and laughed softly as he heard Grell singing in the kitchen. There were many of her habits that he found annoying, but this was not one of them. She was a surprisingly good singer- she wasn't able to belt, but she could hit and hold every note. While living with her, Will had realised that she had a lot of talents that he hadn't ever noticed before. She was musical, she was a good dresser, she was insanely good at makeup (Honestly, who else was able to do it so quickly so well?). Once when she hadn't been home, he'd decided to try on a pair of her heels- just for _'research'._  How she managed to stand and run and _fight_  in those things was a mystery to him. In fact, he'd developed a new feeling for her which he decided to call respect.

When he got out of the bath, he felt a lot more refreshed than before, and changed into a shirt and trousers before checking up on Grell in the kitchen. She'd tied her hair up into a long ponytail, and was putting their food on plates when he came in. "Come here," she said, and he raised an eyebrow at her demand but did as she asked anyway. He couldn't help but chuckle as she leaned in closer to him and sniff him before nodding in satisfaction. They didn't have any conversations over dinner, but there was no awkwardness or tension between them either. Actually, there was generally none of that anymore, and if Will didn't know any better, he might say he was starting to like her. No, not like, he told himself once again, tolerate. He was _tolerating_ her.

 After they finished eating, Grell cleared the table without a word. Will watched her go, refusing to admit to himself that he was grinning. He caught himself just before he started thinking about he good she looked, and once more, he had to tell himself that just because she was attractive, that didn't mean he was attracted to her. He eventually joined her in the kitchen, helping her wash up and put the plates and cutlery back in the cupboards.  "William, can I ask you something?" she asked, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Will hesitated for a moment, before shrugging- what harm could it do? "Go ahead."

"Are you a virgin?" She said it as if there was nothing strange about it, and for some reason this put him ease.

"No," he replied, "Why does this concern you?"

Grell didn't answer his question, instead asking him another of her own. "How long ago was it since you last had sex?"

"I swear, if this you trying to bed me..."

"No, I'm just curious," she gave him a genuinely innocent smile, "You don't seem like the type to have much sex anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just answer my question, Will."

 Will rolled his eyes, before answering, "I last did it not long after I became Dispatch Supervisor, about seventy years ago ," he admitted, "I don't exactly get the time to do that sort of thing very often."

"Were you in a relationship?" she asked.

"No, it was a... sort of bribery."

"Bribery?!" Grell's voice rose in both pitch and volume as she processed what she's just heard, " _You_ were bribed with sex? How?"

Will felt himself blush, and he sighed in annoyance. "I was young and stupid and impressionable," he ran a hand through his hair to stop it from sticking to his face again in the heat, "He was about to graduate the Academy and his grades dropped dramatically. He told me he was willing to do anything to change it, and... it turned out that this wasn't limited to sex."

"Who was it?" Grell was grinning by now, and he realised that there was _no way_  that he could trust her with this information.

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you?" he snapped, to which she just laughed, folding her arms.

"With the information you gave me, I'd easily be able to work out which year your 'mystery man' graduated. There are only so many men per class who would be willing to sleep with someone to boost their grades, so I'm sure with a little research I could easily find him myself," she leaned in closer to him and he swallowed as she continued softly, "Either you tell me now or face the embarrassment of me getting this information some other way."

"Fine," Will mumbled, "But you don't tell anyone, understand?"

She nodded, and he opened his mouth to speak, before having second thoughts. Was this really a good idea? How did he know that she'd keep it a secret? Eventually he decided that if she really could find out herself, he was probably better off just telling her anyway. He pursed his lips before speaking. "It was Knox."

"What!?"

"I said-"

"I know, I heard you that first time, just..." Grell laughed, leaning on the kitchen counter, "I didn't think you'd be into him, he's hardly your type."

"I don't really have a type," he stated flatly, "Nor do I wish to label myself in any way."

She all but ignored this last statement, seemingly very invested in finding out more about it. "So did you take his virginity?"

"No, but he took m-" Will caught himself before he said it, but judging by the look on her face, he could tell that she'd already worked out what he was about to say anyway. "Why am I telling you any of this?" he asked, though it was more aimed at himself than at Grell. She shrugged, and for a while, there was complete silence between them. He finished washing the dishes and started drying up as she watched him- surprisingly, he wasn't actually that angry at her. Hell, he wasn't angry at all, just worried that she'd be judging him for it. Just as he finished, she bit her lip in thought before asking,  "Wait, isn't Ronald straight?"

Will rolled his eyes, thinking that their conversation had ended. "Well, as far as I know, he's never been into any other men," Will told her, inhaling sharply and putting the last fork away, "Let's just... drop this conversation." He said it more as a demand than a suggestion and Grell pouted at him.

"This doesn't change what I think of you," she told him, "We all do dumb things when we're young, that's how people learn." William was ready to argue, before realising that what she'd said was right, and surprisingly profound at that. He didn't thank her, but did acknowledged her with a quick nod before he turned and left the room.

 

He knew that opening up about _that_  of all things could be one of the worse decisions he'd ever made, but something told him that despite his previous fears, his secret would be safe with Sutcliff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also fun fact i headcanon will as questioning


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapters pretty short oops but hey at least stuff's actually happening

There were many things that William had fantasised about in the past- this ranged from more pay and more days off to less paperwork and inefficient reapers. Essentially, all the things he would waste his time hoping for were just things that would make his job easier. He had not at any point, however, spent time by himself thinking about Grell- especially like _this._

The thoughts first came to him in mid July, when he was walking home from work in the evening under the warm Summer sunset. It had been a long day- the air conditioning had finally been fixed, but he had been short on staff and he'd received barely any of the required paperwork all day. He decided not to go too fast on his way back to his apartment in case he started to overheat, taking his time to think about the last several months. He reflected on how much his attitude towards Grell had changed, how this time six months ago he'd come in and practically ignore her but now was able to start a conversation with her as soon as he walked through the door.  His mind soon turned to what they could talk about that evening that wouldn't just be complaining about the weather, how he could greet her without groaning about his day at work. And that was when the thought of kissing her slipped into his head. He actually stopped walking at this, looking around as if to see if anyone was there to somehow read his mind. He could feel his cheeks heat up, and this time he wasn't going to deny it. The image in his mind was just a peck on the lips, it didn't mean anything at all, it wasn't even that romantic. He made himself forget about it, and when he arrived back home, he didn't make eye contact with Grell until the next morning.

 

The second time it happened was during Will's lunch break. Grell had just been in to drop in some paperwork, and when she lent down over his desk, he'd felt the sudden urge to pull her forwards and kiss her. Of course he didn't actually do it- that would just be absurd- but he spent his entire lunch break wondering what would've happened if he had, wondering what her hair would've felt like if he'd tangled his fingers in it, imagining her hands resting on his hips... He couldn't believe that he was thinking about anything like that. It was inappropriate to say the least, and for him to even have the idea of kissing someone like Sutcliff just showed how badly the heat was starting to get to him.

Throughout July and the start of August, he had very similar thoughts, and he found himself telling himself in front of the mirror in the morning that Grell was _not_ that attractive, that he did _not_ like her and that these thoughts were nothing more than his mind playing tricks on him. When they became more and more frequent, he just blamed it on the constantly rising temperatures and the fact that the early sunrises and late sunsets were resulting in a lack of sleep.

When the thoughts didn't stop, he started to wonder whether he needed to see someone about his health- surely it couldn't be normal if the heat was making him imagine things like that. He wouldn't speak to Grell in the morning, just in case that bought more of the stupid images in his mind. When he came back in the evening, he did all he could to stay away from her as she continued to wear next to nothing in the rising heat. Dinner became hell once again, and Will could could barely bring himself to eat if her hand had brushed against his or if her body had gone anywhere near his. It made a lot of sense to Will that he was ill, especially since it was affecting his appetite too. The strange thoughts and getting flustered were probably just a side affect of it all.

Thankfully, Grell hadn't bought it up so William assumed that she hadn't noticed. She did, however, seem to be making a point of coming into his office to hand in others' paperwork for them, usually sitting on his desk in front of him in an attempt to start conversation. When he told her to leave him alone, she did, but she always came back at lunch- this was when Will really knew that he was ill. Grell would do completely normal things in front of him, like reapplying her lipstick or running his hands through her hair, and he'd find himself looking away, swallowing down an unfamiliar lump in his throat and fighting the stupid thoughts of intimacy out of his head. He'd been hoping that it would get better, but it only seemed to get worse, and one evening, he'd decided that he'd had enough.

He came back to the apartment, expecting to see her in her usual tied up shirt and wrap skirt ensemble out on the balcony. Instead, she was laying down on the couch, all of her clothes but her shirt and undergarments on the floor. He guessed that she had stripped and gone to sleep as soon as she arrived from work, and somehow couldn't take her eyes off of her. The steady rise and fall of her shoulders as she slept was somewhat mesmerising. He was watching her sleep for far longer than he'd care to admit and when he finally did look away, he realised that there was definitely _something wrong with him._

Will had a quick shower and when he came out he went to the kitchen to make himself a drink. Since he'd been in the bathroom, Grell had woken up, and seemed to have had exactly the same idea as him. He inhaled sharply, looking at her fully-exposed legs for a second before turning to leave, hoping that she hadn't noticed him in the doorway. Unfortunately she had, and she turned to face him, smiling. "Where are you going, dear?"

"I was, uhm... going to get a drink," he told her, "But you're kind of..." Grell raised an eyebrow, leaning against the kitchen counter and smirking a little.

"I'm what, William?"

"Well, it's not you, it's just..." he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry at the sight of her ridden-up shirt- why on Earth was she wearing lingerie like _that_ around the apartment? "I'm ill," he finally told her, "I don't really know what it is, but I don't really want to get too close in case it's infectious." At this, Grell slammed her glass of water down on the counter, throwing back her head and laughing. "What?" he asked, "I'm serious, and I don't want you needing to take time off work."

"You're ill, hm?" she walked towards him folding her arms, "What, do you think you have a temperature?" Will shrugged, moving to sit on the couch, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. She chuckled again, and he felt himself stiffen up as she sat beside him, turning his head towards her and resting the back of her hand on his forehead. She took his hand in hers, her smirk widening. 

"What?" he asked, "What is it?"

"You're not really ill, are you?"

"That's the only logical explanation," he adjusted his glasses, avoiding eye contact with her as she continued to feel his face, "Please don't get too close, I don't need you catching anything." Again, Grell just laughed, making him frown in annoyance- what was so funny? He was ill, Hell, he was _suffering._  When she finally took her hand away from him, he jerked backwards, feeling his stomach flip. "Grell, please-"

"Wait, you actually think you're ill?" she interrupted, letting go of his hand. William nodded, frowning as she laughed yet again. 

"I don't understand what's so funny," he said, "I'm not well, it's obvious."

"You're not unwell, darling."

"I'm constantly sweating and getting flustered, I feel sick half the time, and the other half of the time I'm thinking about-" Will caught himself before he said too much, but it appeared that Grell wouldn't let him leave it at that.

"About what?"

There was a short silence. William opened his mouth before closing it again when couldn't think of anything to say, then pushed her away from him and stood up. "I'm going to bed," he snapped, "I'll see you in the morning."

"But Will, it's only just gone seven."

"I'm ill!" Was all he said before entering his bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him. 

God, he wished he'd feel better soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look! it's another random fucking oc!  
> i love ocs  
> sorry  
> also  
> this chapter. it good

If there was one event that William hated, it was the meeting that occurred once every five years in Headquarters. He partially hated because he had to travel all the way to Paris, but he hated it even more because he was required to bring along the top performing reaper in the dispatch since the last meeting. He had to admit that he was relieved when he found out said reaper wasn't Grell- with his recent illness that always worsened around her it was probably for the best. This years reaper... well, it could be worse. William didn't exactly like Ronald Knox. He was, in short, a slacker and cared more about getting laid than his work. Still, he managed to tolerate him, and since he'd somehow managed to be the top performing reaper (According to multiple people, most of his work wasn't actually done by him) he would have to put up with him just for a few days. Grell seemed to be quite upset that Will would be going to Paris without her, but she smiled and waved him off all the same. 

 

The journey to Paris was a long one. William did all he could to not speak to Ronald, bringing paperwork with him to keep him occupied. However, it wasn't long until he'd finished this paperwork and there was nothing between them except a horribly awkward silence. Naturally, Ronald was the one to break the silence, slouching in his seat on the train and saying, "How's it going with Sutcliff?"

Will sighed as he realized conversation was probably unavoidable, adjusting his glasses and answering, "The same as ever... Why do you ask?"

"She told me that you said you weren't feeling great," he said, looking out of the window, "Try not to pass it on to me, yeah?" He put his feet up on the seat opposite him, smiling to himself. "This is my first time going to headquarters, what's it like?"

"Big."

"And?"

"That's about it."

Ronald shrugged, and something told Will that he hadn't quite got the hint that he wanted their conversation to end. "Why are we there for the whole weekend?" he asked, "Why not just for a day?"

"There's a party the evening beforehand," Will explained, "I usually don't attend though, I have much better things to do."

"Awh come on, don't be like that," Ronald grinned at him, "Parties are great, there's music 'n free alcohol, you get to pick up chicks... What isn't to like about that?" 

"Everything," he snapped, "Besides, I don't really think it's that kind of party."

Ronald folded his arms, taking in William's bored expression. When he didn't say anything, Will rather hoped that he'd finally dropped the conversation, but of course, he continued talking. "So is it a fancy party then? With canopies and stuff?"

"I think the word you're looking for there is _canapes_ ," he said, "And yes, I believe it's a fancy party."

"Well, you'd fit right in there," Ronald slid along the seat of the train so that he was next to him, "An' hey, I bet there will be other guys like you there, so you don't need to worry about finding someone you like there."

"Guys like me?"

"Yeah, y'know," Ronald made a gesture in the air with his hands before saying, "Gay people. You're not exactly ugly, boss, I'm sure someone would be into you."

"Bloody hell, it's not that kind of party," Will felt his cheeks heat up a little, before saying, "Besides, I'm not exclusively into men and I don't bed people that I don't know."

"You barely knew me when you-"

"Shut up," he snapped at the younger reaper, not even letting him finish his sentence, "That was a one time thing and mostly a mistake on my part. You are  _not_ tobring that up again, do you understand?"

"But-"

" _Do you understand?_ "

"Yes, boss."

"Good.

The rest of the journey was almost entirely silent and Will couldn't have been more thankful for this. He didn't speak to Ronald when they checked into their separate rooms and was glad to finally be rid of him. He lay down on the bed, running a hand through his hair and looking at the clock on the wall- it had just gone four, which meant he still had another three hours before the two of them were due to arrive at headquarters for this 'party', which gave him time to clean up after almost six hours of travelling. He showered and changed into a more formal suit before deciding to go out and look around. It wasn't often that he got to leave the office so it would only make sense to make the most of it. There wasn't exactly much, but he did end up buying something: a silver pendant with a charm of the Eiffel Tower hanging off of it. He'd felt a little bad about leaving Grell by herself for the weekend, and was only cheap so it wasn't like he splurging on her. It wasn't even a gift. No, it was just a souvenir. He met up with Ronald (Who for once was wearing his suit properly) about a quarter of an hour before they wear meant to be at headquarters. William almost choked in the elevator when he decided to spritz himself with what he assumed was body spray- and a very cheap one at that. "You ready, boss?" he asked, to which Will just hummed, adjusting his glasses and doing his best to ignore Ronald.

The entrance to the Headquarters building was busy, and Will had to admit that he didn't recognise half of the languages her heard. Once they entered, he  distanced himself enough from Ronald so that people wouldn't associate the two of them with eachother, but close enough that he could still keep an eye on him. He picked up a flute of champagne to be polite, but didn't actually plan on drinking it, standing in the corner and observing the people around him. Most of the guests were either making small talk (something that Will hated) or were huddled around the bar. Ronald, naturally, was one of the latter, and even though he'd only been there for about a quarter of an hour, he was already surrounded by women. He sighed, pushing his glasses up his face and wondering if he should just leave. It wasn't like anyone would miss him, plus he could take the time to rehearse what he was going to say in tomorrow's meeting. He sipped his champagne, deciding to leave as soon as he finished it- at least, that was the plan until he heard an unfamiliar voice say his name.

"Hey, you're Spears? From Britain?"

He turned to see a somewhat familiar reaper standing beside him with dark hair pulled out of his face in a short hair. "Sorry, do I know you?" he asked, a little wary.

"I'm Pedro," he spoke with a thick accent and held his hand out for Will to shake, "I was here five years ago, we spoke then."

William thought for a moment, before nodding. "Ah yes, you were top performer in the Mexico City Dispatch," he shook Pedro's hand and put his drink down, "It's rare for someone as young as you to be here twice in a row, your supervisor must like you."

"I _am_ supervisor now," he answered with a grin, "I was promoted just after the last meeting, and that probably wouldn't have happened if you hadn't said what you'd said about the age of a reaper not determining their ability to lead, so I thought I should probably thank you."

At this William smiled and shrugged. "I wouldn't say I'm entirely to thank for that," he told him, "I'm not the first person to bring that up, you know."

"Perhaps, but the way you sold it to them was amazing, that was what made them change their minds," Pedro leaned against the wall beside him, "You're a damn good speaker, it's quite inspiring." Will laughed softly to himself, sipping his drink and trying not to roll his eyes when he noticed Ronald on the other side of the room with his tongue halfway down some poor girl's throat.

"I'm not trying to inspire anyone," he said sharply, "It's just unfair how headquarters puts tradition before progress. Half of them have been here since well before I even graduated and if something doesn't date back to when they were in the Academy, they want nothing to do with it." Pedro hummed in agreement, before there was a short silence, during which Will finished his drink and put down his glass on the nearest table. He then decided to leave, thinking that their conversation had ended, only for Pedro to tap his shoulder. He paused, raising an eyebrow. "I'd quite like to leave now," he said, "What is it?"

"Well, I uh, have my proposals for the meeting tomorrow with me right now," he said, and Will had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smirking when he'd so obviously intimidated him, "I was wondering if you could go over them... o-or not!" Pedro fiddled nervously with his tie as he took in his expression, looking at the floor to avoid eye contact.

Eventually, William shrugged and said, "Sure, I don't anything wrong with doing that." Pedro visibly relaxed and the two of the slipped out of the party practically unnoticed. They managed to find an empty conference room that was unlocked, and he got to work looking through Pedro's proposals. Most of them were things he'd seen before- increased pay, more holidays for senior reapers, that kind of thing. There was however, one thing on his list that he'd never seen before: ' _Reformed Academy system'._ "What's this?" Will pointed to it with a raised eyebrow. Pedro smiled at him, leaning back in his seat and putting his feet up onto the table.

"I'm glad you asked," he said, "You see, the Academy has never once changed, and it just doesn't work that well. When a reaper goes through the Academy, they learn a mixture of skills, most of which are only applicable to certain divisions, and because of this, studies aren't very in depth and most reapers go into their preferred division with very limited knowledge of what they're doing, it would make more sense to give them the choice of what they want to study so time that was before spent studying things they weren't going to use can be spent on things that they will actual use."

"Mhm, true, but you'd end up having to get more reapers from different divisions to teach instead of just usual few seniors. How do you plan on getting them to do that? Increased wages? I doubt Headquarters would be very happy about that."

"Well maybe headquarters need to get their heads out of their own asses and start thinking about others for once," Pedro folded his arms, his voice rising in volume.

"You'll never get what you want if you act like that," William told him, not at all fazed by his outburst, "You have to appeal to them, be smooth- but don't compliment them, they'll work out what you're doing straight away. Understand?" 

Pedro nodded, biting his lip. "Do you think I have a chance?"

"Honestly, no," Will sighed, "You don't have backup or statistics or any proof that this would work better than the current Academy system, nor do you have the experience for Headquarters to actually listen to you."

"So it's not a good idea?"

"No, I personally thing it's an excellent idea," he adjusted his glasses, continuing, "It would certainly improve the efficiency of new reapers and help them settle into work much quicker, but without any benefits to the people in charge, they'll say that you're only thinking of yourself and the rest of the information you give them will go in one ear and out the other."

"Oh."

"However, if someone who had more experience as supervisor were to put this idea forwards, they would be much more likely to consider it," he ran a hand through his hair, folding up the piece of paper that Pedro had given him, and tucking it into his blazer pocket, "I should be able to come up with something by tomorrow."

He turned to leave but before he could, Pedro grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Spears?"

"What is-" William was about to snap at him, but before he could answer, Pedro grabbed him by the hips and pulled him in, hugging him tightly. Will froze for a second, before hugging him back, if a little stiffly. "I really wouldn't do this if I were you," he quickly said.

"Oh, sorry," the other reaper held Will at arms lengths, "Why?"

"I'm ill."

"Really?" Pedro raised a eyebrow, "You don't look ill to me."

He sighed, quickly adjusting his glasses again. "It's worse when I'm with Sutcliff- my flatmate- I'm worried it could be contagious."

"Well, what are the symptoms?"

"Feeling sick, hot flushes, that kind of thing," he answered, raising an eyebrow when he smirked a little.

"And is Sutcliff, who it is... 'worse around' showing any of these symptoms?"

"No, but why does that- " Will folded his arms and frowned when Pedro began laughing, "What?" He could've sworn that this happened when he'd tried to tell Grell about this, and it was honestly starting to annoy him.

Finally Pedro stopped laughing and ruffled his hair. "You're in denial, it's so obvious!"

"In denial?" he snapped, "What do I have to deny?"

"You probably have feelings for Sutcliff." 

Will opened felt his lips go dry and he his mouth to protest, but he'd already left the room before he could say a word. 

 

The rest of the weekend passed exactly how he'd anticipated it to. The next morning he went to wake up Ronald to find him hungover with two different women in his bed. (Honestly, what had he been expecting?) He decided that it would be best if he didn't go anywhere other than a shop to get painkillers, though this was more to save his own reputation than to give Ronald a chance to rest.

The meeting passed without a hitch- he put Pedro's idea forwards, and while those in Headquarters didn't look overly convinced, they still seemed to be listening, which was a start. By the time that it was over, he was more than ready to go home, though throughout the journey back what Pedro had said stuck in his mind. The more he dwelt on it, the more he realised he was right. He did have feelings for Sutcliff, weird, horrible, strange feelings that he couldn't actually identify. They were nice though- well, they certainly weren't bad. They were feelings that somehow made him look forward to seeing Grell after work, feelings that made him love the sound of her voice when he used to hate it- wait.

Love.

Shit.

Of-fucking-course. 

 

When he arrived back at his apartment, Grell practically sprinted to greet him, hugging him tightly. He didn't hesitate to do the same back, allowing her to bury her face in his neck.

"I missed you..." She mumbled, and Will felt his face go red at the feeling of her mouth so close to his skin. After what Pedro had told him, there was no lying to himself anymore, he wasn't ill at all. He curled a strand of her red hair around his finger, his other hand resting on the curve of her back. 

"I missed you too," he said softly, and for once he was telling the complete truth. A few moments later he pulled away, much to her disappointment. "Stay here," he told her, before going to his suitcase and rummaging around for the small drawstring bag that the necklace had come in. He then went back to her, putting it (a little too forcefully) into her hands. "I got you this," he said quickly, "It's nothing special, don't get excited over it."

Grell raised an eyebrow, opening the bag and smiling when she saw what was inside. "You bought me a necklace..." she muttered, taking it out and putting it on around her neck before looking up at him, "I don't know what to say..." her voice trailed off for a few seconds before she grinned and said, "Does this mean you're no longer in denial?"

"In denial of what?" Will felt himself blush as she stepped closer to him, resting a hand on his chest, "That I have... feelings for you?" Grell nodded, her mouth dangerously close to his. He inhaled sharply, looking at her lips then back up into her eyes. "I might do... I'm still not completely sure what they are, though..."

He swallowed as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Do you want me to show you, William dear?" Will didn't answer, trying to force words out of his mouth but having no idea what to say. Eventually he just nodded, relaxing into her grasp as she leaned forwards and pressed her lips gently against his. He had to admit that he wasn't expecting it to feel quite so... right. Hell, he wasn't expecting to enjoy it at all, but when she pulled away, he barely let her breathe before tugging her back in and kissing her again. He allowed himself to tangle his fingers in her hair, the softness of her lips and the warmth of her tongue making up for the strange flipping sensation in his stomach. The kiss didn't last nearly long enough, but Will knew it had to end at some point. He looked down at Grell, his lips slightly parted in surprise. "I... liked that," he admitted.

"Enough to want to do it again?" Grell grinned at him, arms still firmly wrapped around his body. He smiled back at her, running a gloved hand through her hair.

"Definitely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god,,,, ok its happening,,,, everybody stay calm  
> what's the procedure  
> stay fucckinnh caalm


	11. Chapter 11

For decades William T. Spears had told himself that he was repulsed by intimacy. No, he hadn't 'secretly longed for something' all this time, but he had often thought about it, often wondering if a relationship would do him any good. Every single time he came to the conclusion that romance would just get in the way of his career, but there was another reason that he usually pushed to the back of his mind: he was afraid of it. He didn't even know what he was into- unlike Grell, he wasn't exactly comfortable with sticking a label on himself sexually, especially since he didn't really get involved in that kind of thing anyway. He'd never told anyone, but he'd had crushes in the Academy- one male and one female. He'd known from the start that the man had been out of his league. But the woman had been slightly more realistic. They'd never been friends so to speak, but at the two parties that he did attend as a student, she'd always found a way to get close to him. If he had been just a little less stupid, he probably would've worked out that she'd liked him back, but the moment their lips had touched he'd freaked out at the idea of having to commit to something more than just a kiss. The next time that he spoke to her was to suspend her after she'd come into work hungover almost sixty years later. Something told him a relationship with her wouldn't have worked out in the first place.

 

 

For some reason, he felt none of this with Grell. Perhaps this was because they'd already been living together for several months. Perhaps it was because he was older, wiser and he'd got the highest promotion he could at his age. Perhaps it was just because instead of admiring her from afar before making out with her once, he'd gotten to know her, spoken to her, enjoyed her company, been her friend and eventually -yes, he was finally admitting it- fallen in love with her.

 

The two of them had never actually said 'I love you', nor had they acknowledged their relationship, but in the next few weeks Will found that they were essentially dating. She started waiting for him after his shift so they could walk home together, they kissed eachother when they first woke up and went to bed and when Grell's paycheck came in at the end of August she insisted that she should take him out for dinner. Naturally, he had declined her offer at first ("We have food at home, we don't need to go out just so we can have an expensive portion of something that's probably already in the fridge.") but she eventually managed to convince him by promising to get all of her paperwork in on time for the next two weeks. William had been hoping that the restaurant that she'd chosen would be slightly less posh than the one Grell had actually picked, and he definitely groaned when she had told him no, what he wore to work was not smart enough to wear now.

 

Once he'd changed again, he waited for her to do her hair and makeup (which took another ten minutes) before they set off. She clung to his arm like it was her goddamn life support, chattering away in her usual sing-song voice that used to drive Will mad. Her heels clicked loudly on the pavement beside him, almost drowning out the sound of her voice. Some things never change, he thought to himself, allowing for her to rest her head against his shoulder as they arrived outside the restaurant. Will raised an eyebrow- he'd worked out that they were going somewhere up-market, but this was ridiculous.

"Grell, are you sure you can afford this?" He asked her, to which she nodded, flashing him a pointy-toothed grin.

"Of course," she said, "As long as you're the one paying for drinks. And probably also dessert... Oh don't give me that look! I've already booked us a table, we can't go home now." Will sighed in exasperation, following her inside. She stepped forward as they came to the waitress by the door. "I have a table booked for seven, sorry we're a little early." 

"Name?"

"Sutcliff."

The waitress shook her head and gave her a smile. "It's fine, just follow me," she said, before leading them to a table by a window. She took their coats and handed them the drinks list before disappearing off.

 

"That dress looks expensive," Will commented once she was gone, taking in what she wore as she sat down opposite him. It was long and red (obviously) with silver details, no sleeves and no way that it was within her budget. She just smiled and tapped the side of her nose which only made him more wary. Did that mean she'd taken it from someone without asking? Stolen it? Honestly, with someone like Grell it could easily be either.

 

After a short silence, Grell looked up from her drinks menu and said, "What do you fancy?"

Will shrugged. "I don't really have a preference."

"The pinot blush?"

"No."

"Merlot?"

"No."

"Oh, come on!" Grell put the list down on the table a little too forcefully, "Obviously you do have a preference-"

"I told you, I don't mind," Will frowned, "I'll just have whatever you're having."

"Then we'll get a bottle of champagne."

"No."

"For fuck's sake, William!"

Will swallowed, suddenly feeling conscious that the entire restaurant was probably hearing this. He glared at Grell, adjusting his glasses with a sigh. This was why he didn't like going to restaurants like this- it was stuffy, expensive and absolute hell to decide on what to have when there was a waiter with a stick up his are judging you the entire time. Speak of the bloody devil, he thought, hearing the familiar 'are you two ready to order'. He looked at Grell, wanting her to go first before 

Finally after a few moments of staring at eachother, Will put down his menu and said, "I'll just have a soda." 

Grell visibly stiffened, tucking her hair behind her ear before saying, "I'll have the pinot blush." She relaxed a little when the waiter took their menus and disappeared, leaning across the table and taking his hand. "You look handsome tonight."

"Yes."

She laughed, throwing her head back and squeezing his fingers. "You're adorable," she said, reaching over and pinching his cheek between her fingers. He frowned, batting her hand away playfully, unable to stop the corners of his lips from turning up into a smile.

"Your nails are sharp," he told her, "They were digging into my face."

 

Once again there were a few moments of nothing. No words were exchanged, no eye contact was made. It was, in short, extremely awkward. 'Were all dinner dates like this?' he found himself wondering, 'Because if so I want nothing more to do with it.'

He looked back up at Grell, who was playing idly with a strand if her hair as she looked at the menu. Her scarlet-painted lips silently formed the words she as she read through it, her green eyes partially hidden behind the frames of her glasses.God, she was beautiful. It made him wonder what someone like him was even doing here with-

"Ready to order?"

'Shit,' Will thought as Grell nodded and smiled- he'd been so busy ogling at her like some lovesick imbecile that he'd forgotten to decide what to eat. When the waiter looked at him he freaked out a little, quickly looking at the menu and picking out the first thing that looked interesting. "I'll have the lobster." Shit, why did he have to choose the second most expensive thing on the menu? Judging by the way Grell was smiling to herself he figured that she could tell just how nervous he was. Damnit, she even looked gorgeous when she was laughing at him. He blushed a little more than he cared to admit before mumling softly, "You look stunning tonight."

 

She looked up at him, her cheeks a little pink. "I do?" The surprise in her voice was evident as she raised a crimson eyebrow at him, "My hair's a little messy and my make-up's rushed, I didn't think you'd-"

"Grell?"

"Hm?"

"I love you." Grell didn't answer for a few seconds, her face going red. "What?" He asked, "What is-" She didn't give him time to finish, leaning over the table, grabbing his tie and pulling him in, pressing her lips against his. William kissed her back before remembering they were in public and pushing her away. "Don't," he told her, "Not here."

"You're no fun," she pouted, though he could tell she wasn't serious. 

 

Their food came not long after that much to William's relief because it meant that he would have something to concentrate on something other than Grell. He tried to forget how much exactly his food would cost them as he ate, staring out the window to avoid looking at her. Just as he finished his food (which was not worth the four the something pounds that it cost) she took his hand once again.

"Is something the matter, William dear?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're looking out the window like you've just seen a bloody ghost," she said, "There must be something wrong."

Will sighed, adjusting his glasses and picking up his drink, swirling the liquid around the glass by not bringing it to his lips. "I've never done this before... never been on a date, never been in a relationship, never even been in love."

"Never been in love?" She laughed softly, "I'm sure that can't be much fun."

"Being a grim reaper isn't meant to fun," Will reminded her, "It's a punishment for taking our own lives."

"I know, but it's not like any of us know how long it is until we've served our sentence," she told him, "So we might as well make the best of a bad situation. I'd rather be happy than spend goodness knows long being a miserable old sod."

Will chuckled, gently running a hand over her knuckles. "Is that your excuse for never doing your paperwork?" He asked with a smile, "You're trying to have fun?" Grell didn't answer that, curling a loose strand of her hair around her finger. She leaned back in her chair a little, sitting up when a waiter came to take their plates. 

They ended up deciding against getting dessert and (much to Grell's amusement) Will definitely cursed when he saw the bill. "Remind me to never let you choose where we go for dinner again," he told her as they left, "I'm not having you drain my bank account just so a waiter with a stick up his arse can judge us." She snickered at this, taking his hand as they walked back to the apartment.

"That's a bit hypocritical, coming from you," she said almost teasingly. It took Will a few moments to understand and when he did he stopped walking, let go of her hand and folded his arms.

"I do not have a stick up my arse!" He protested, brow twitching in annoyance as he heard her laugh up ahead.

"You keep telling yourself that dear!" She said, letting Will catch up with her before kissing his cheek.

"Be grateful you're dating me, Sutcliff," he said, wiping the lipstick mark on his face with the back of his hand, "If I didn't love you I would've smacked you round the back of the head for that." Grell opened her mouth, probably to make some kind of witty comeback, but before she could speak he rolled his eyes, grabbing her by the back of the neck and kissing her. It felt damn good to be the one initiating it, though she somehow still managed to take the lead from him, wrapping her arms around his waist as they got lost in the warmth of eachother's mouths. They'd only made out once before- it had been slow paced and experimental; it was less an act of romance and more one of curiosity. Now they knew what they were doing it was a lot more passionate, hands gripping clothes and fingers tangling in hair. When Will pulled away his breath was heavy and laboured, lips slicked with spit. He couldn't quite think of what to say so he let out a short, breathless 'woah' before laughing softly at how pathetic he probably sounded.

"When did I fall for such a romantic, William?" Grell asked as they continued on their way home.

"You didn't," he said, "Love just turns people into reckless idiots."

"Well if that's the case," Grell answered as they reached the apartment, "Then I like reckless idiot William. I like him a lot."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its hayfever season im fucking dying


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh shit man its that m rating finally fucking having a purpose

 

Summer eventually passed, much to William's relief. As August turned to September the weather got cooler, things were easier and the flow of paperwork returned to its usual steady pace. Grell started dressing in her usual clothes again at home, walking around in her shirt, waistcoat and trousers instead of her make-shift wrap skirt. While it was nice to be able to cover up without sweltering, Will knew that he wouldn't be able to just forget how damn flustered he got when she had dressed like that.  As a both a student and a full-time shinigami, William had never had the time or the urge to masturbate. He'd thought about pleasuring himself plenty of times and while yes, the idea seemed nice, he just had more pressing matters than trying to get off to goodness knows what.

That was, until now.

The first few times he did it he didn't really know what he was doing. He'd been clumsy with his hand and he hadn't been anywhere near climaxing even after ten or so minutes. But as time passed he found himself giving Grell more and more evening reaps just so he knew the house would be empty. He'd lock doors, shut windows, lay down on the bed and let thoughts of Grell fill his mind. He could see her being dominant and dangerous, pushing him around and doing all the things he usually hated to him. The first time he came he had his face buried in his pillow to muffle his moans as he released over his hand, back arched a little with his trousers round his ankles and blazer half off his shoulders. He was smiling to himself, panting and sweating and dropping his hips onto the mattress, not caring about the mess he'd made for a few minutes as he recovered. He was shaking a little, but holy shit had it been worth it. Come to think of it, he'd probably been a little too proud of himself for climaxing; hell, it was embarrassing that he'd even done it in the first place.

September was much the same as every other month, with the exception of Grell's birthday. He'd bought her some make-up palette that a girl in Personnel had told him she'd wanted. She'd said thank you and kissed him, only for the kiss to turn into a long, messy session of making out. He'd then made her breakfast before they headed out for work (despite Grell's best attempts to get them to stay at home instead), the day passing normally. They'd agreed to keep their relationship secret for a while, just while Will was getting comfortable with it. Not that much had changed but if there was one thing that could it was his reputation, and that was the last thing he wanted. 

The evening of Grell's birthday, they'd both come home at the same time, eating dinner on the couch in eachother's arms instead of at the table. It wasn't much- in fact it wasn't really anything- but it gave them time to relax together for a few hours and that was what mattered. Will could feel himself fall asleep when Grell actually spoke, her voice quiet from where she hadn't been using it. "William, darling?"

"Hm?"

"When did you fall in love with me?"

Will though for several minutes, batting Grell's hand away as she played with the bottom of his tie. Finally, he answered, "I'm not sure," he blushed a little, laughing a little at himself, "I was slightly in denial of it all at first."

"Slightly?"

"Okay, maybe it was a little more than just slightly," Will admitted, "But that really doesn't matter, Grell." For a few minutes the two of them remained quiet one more, the silence broken by a soft giggle that left her mouth. "What?" Will asked her, "What is it?"

"Since we're meant to be celebrating," she told him, "Don't you think a toast is in order?"

"A toast to what? Getting older?"

"Exactly."

William sighed, defeated and went to see what he had to drink. There was surprisingly little- most of it was too high in volume or too cheap to properly 'celebrate' with. He felt Grell come up behind him and wrap her hands around his waist, mumbling softly, "What's taking so long?" When Will explained, she just laughed, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. "We'll just have a bit of everything then."

"We both have work tomorrow."

"Mm, but you could just give us both a day off," she reminded him.

"Absolutely not."

"Oh come on, darling, just this once."

"I'm not-"

"I'll do overtime every day for two weeks." There was a short silence, during which Grell continued to press kisses down his neck and jawline which was starting drive Will mad in the best way possible. This combined with the prospect of her actually doing paperwork meant it was absolutely impossible to refuse. 

It couldn't have been more than about an hour later when the two of them had consumed enough alcohol to consider themselves drunk. They weren't completely pissed, but they'd definitely had enough for their actions to no longer make sense. There was a lot of kissing- from soft pecks down the side of the face to full-on making out. Will knew there was no point in pushing her away, quite happily (and tipsily) letting her bite and suck as his neck before undoing his shirt and doing the same to his collarbone. She smelled and tasted like liquor, which only slightly overpowered the scent of her floral perfume. He'd usually hate this closeness- relationship or no- but alcohol turned people into idiots just as much as love did so hey, there was no point blaming himself. Grell ended up laying down on the couch with him on top of her, his face buried in the crook of her neck, lips occasionally brushing over her skin. She smiled, running her fingers through his hair. "You're very romantic tonight..." she muttered, to which William just shook his head.

"Not romantic, just drunk," he said, gently pressing kisses over her throat, "You and I both know that I'd never do this sober." Grell let out a hum of agreement, sitting up with him still against her.

"We should do this more often," she told him.

"What, get drunk?"

"No, cuddle."

"I told you, I'd never do this sober."

Grell pouted a little, cupping his chin between her finger and thumb and tilting his head upwards so they made eye contact. "William?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to have sex with me?"

Will stared at her for a few moments, lips parted in surprise before he started to speak. He closed his mouth as soon as he did, furrowing his brows in thought. In truth, he did, but even now, drunk and tired and more than happy to be sat in Grell's lap like this, he didn't feel comfortable just saying yes. Even now, the least sober he'd been since before he'd graduated, After what felt like several minutes of not speaking, he eventually sighed and said, "Why are you asking?" She laughed, letting her head fall back slightly as she did.

"I came home early a few nights ago, dear. You really weren't holding back, were you?"

It took Will a few moments to realise what she was talking about and when he did he felt his cheeks heat up and he looked down in embarrassment. "Oh, did you hear that?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible but failing as his voice wavered, "I... I didn't even hear you come-"

"You were too busy coming yourself to do that."

"... Piss off." Will frowned for a second, but his expression softened when Grell giggled. He could see, sitting this close to her, the way her eyes creased up and her hair fell over her face when she did, how her glasses slid down her nose when she laughed too hard, her pointed teeth on show as she did. He wasn't sure whether it was him or the alcohol thinking this, but she looked beautiful. He couldn't take her eyes off of her even if he wanted to. Not that he cared. He liked seeing her like this- warm, cuddly and happy. It made him feel the same. 

Once she stopped laughing, she looking up at him again, a small smirk playing on her lips. "You never answered my question," she told him, "Do you want to have sex with me?"

At first, William didn't answer. His mouth was dry, his eyes wide. He thought, still positioned upon her lap, hands resting on her thighs to balance himself. The strange thing was that everything he did pointed towards the answer being yes: he loved her more than anything right now, thought of her when he masturbated... Hell, even the way he was practically straddling her now suggested that he wanted to have sex with her. But even with all this, he knew he couldn't just tell her that- not truthfully anyway. After a few minutes of thinking, Will sighed and shrugged, eventually saying, "I'm not sure. I don't think I'm ready for sex."

Grell shrugged, leaning up and gently pecking his lips. "That's okay, dear," she said, "I'm ready when you're ready." She pulled him down by his tie so that he was once again laying with his face nuzzled into her shoulder. 

The lazy kisses soon started up again, though nothing got quite as heated as before. William enjoyed this intimacy, especially since he probably wouldn't remember it the next morning. But even if he didn't, deep down he knew that he didn't actually care half as much as he told himself he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also so many fics have drunk will super horny n if you want smut thats cool but like we all know he'd either no longer be emotionless or he'd be tired af


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all like this bullshit filler content??? you better becuase this is all my dumbass mind can come up with rn

Grell loved Halloween. She'd been the one to suggest a work Halloween party for the first time back in 1827. She spent ages on her costumes every year, each one handmade and beautiful. Will hated that October wasn't a month for work for her, but the dedication she always put into it was quite frankly adorable. They were laying in their now-shared bed (which currently had the blanket that Grell had bought for the couch over the top of it for extra warmth) at the beginning of the month when she first bought it up. "William?"

Will stirred in is sleep, letting out a groan and a yawn before saying, "What?"

"Are you going to come this year?" she asked him, "To Halloween?" She rolled over to face his back, sliding her hand around his waist and slipping it under his nightshirt to rest on his stomach.

He groaned a little, batting her hand away. "...cold," he mumbled, before sitting up and yawning, looking at the time and sighing when he saw that it had only just gone one. "And you know that I hate Halloween parties, Grell." He looked at her, frowning when he took in her hurt expression. Sighing, he shrugged and said, "But I guess I'll make an exception this year." He smiled a little to himself as she kissed his cheek, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Will you dress up?"

"No."

She pulled away from him, sticking her tongue out at him and giving him a gentle shove. "You're no fun, William," she pouted, "I hope you know that." She ran a hand through her hair to get it out of her face before picking up her glasses from the bedside table and putting them on. Will turned on a lamp and rubbed his eyes before doing the same, and the two of them sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the pattering of the rain on the window outside. It wasn't an awkward silence; it was comforting and didn't actually need filling. Grell rested her head on Will's shoulder and played with the collar of his nightshirt for a few moments before looking up at him and sighing. "I wanted to do something together," she told him.

"What kind of 'something'?" His voice was still slightly gravelly from sleep, pushing his fingers under the frames of his glasses to rub his eyes.

"You know, dressing up."

"I already told you, I'm not dressing up," he said, "Besides, I thought we'd agreed that we wouldn't let anyone else know until we'd properly settled into a relationship." Grell shifted a little closer to him, her hand leaving his waist and moving to take his hand in her own. 

"We're laying in the same bed talking about Halloween costumes at one in the morning," she reminded him, "I think we've 'settled down' now." Will adjusted his glasses, pursing his lips in thought before shrugging, realising that she was probably right. 

"Fine, I'll do it," he told her, "But I'm not doing anything more- no drinking or PDA or making a fool of myself. Understand?" Grell nodded, moving her legs under the covers and tangling it in with his, before pressing a few kisses to his jaw and neck. He didn't push her away, squeezing her fingers in his as she did. Will enjoyed this kind of thing- cuddling and lazy kissing when they should be asleep. He still despised intimacy with a passion but with Grell he was able to make an exception.  Halloween wasn't brought up again for another few days, much to William's relief. However, when it was, he wasn't exactly expecting it to happen like... well, like coming home to find her halfway through making a dress. She was sat at the table with a sewing machine that had seen better days, surrounded by a shimmery white material that she was working on non-stop. She didn't even look up when he came through the door, too busy humming to herself to hear him.He took off his blazer and hung it up before sitting down on the chair next to her. "What are you doing?"

"Making my Halloween costume," she answered (as if he hadn't already worked that out), "I'll take your measurements after dinner so I can start on yours soon..." She didn't one look up at him, her tongue poking out slightly as she concentrated.

"I thought we were doing something together."

"We are."

"Did you start without talking to me about it first?" Will raised an eyebrow, doing his best to not get annoyed. He knew that she liked to do things her own way, but that got too much when she took up the entire dining table with fabric while doing it. She nodded, tucking a loose strand of her tied-up hair behind her ear. 

"I'm going to be Titania," she explained, taking the material out from under the needle and quickly cutting the thread, "And you're going to be Oberon. Sound good to you?"

Will relaxed a little, trying to hide his relief at the costume being relatively normal. "It could be worse, I guess," he said, watching as she smiled to herself, reaching for another piece of fabric. When nothing else was said for a while Will decided it best if he left and got started on dinner.

 

He listened to her sing softly as she worked from the kitchen, quickly making up some food so that he could help her to clear the table. She didn't pay attention to him at first when he reentered. He had to clear his throat a few times to get her attention, and when he did it took quite a bit of convincing to get her to pack up. Once everything was put away the rest of the evening continued as usual. Unfortunately, Will found himself having to get used to Grell and her sewing machine taking up the entire dining table. For the next few weeks she worked tirelessly at their costumes, often putting it before work (though that really didn't surprise him). They were done exactly four days before Halloween, and when he came home the day after, Grell was sat on the couch wearing her dress applying makeup- which he assumed was a test-run for what she'd do on the actual day.  _'That's so unnecessary,'_  he thought,  _'But so adorable.'_

"Good evening," he sat beside her, being careful to not sit on the skirt. He looked at her dress for a few moments, taking in the layers and the red roses that she'd sewn into it.

"Hey..." she muttered in reply, clearly not paying any real attention to him. She looked into the mirror she had placed on the coffee table in front of her, adding another layer of lipstick before smiling, seeming satisfied. Putting her makeup down, she faced him and smiled her usual pointy-toothed smile. The first thing he noticed was that she'd drawn (rather detailed) flowers the lined her eyes and eyebrows, cursing silently as he realised that these would take ages for her to apply. The next thing he noticed that she looked absolutely gorgeous and that it was probably worth the time it took. The third thing he realised was that she had a bag full of unopened makeup that she kept glancing. He connected the dots in a matter of second and-  _shit, did this mean he was going to have to wear makeup?_

"I hope you're alright with wearing makeup, William, dear."

_Yes. Yes it did._

He took a deep breath, before frowning and folding his arms. "What makes you think I'd be comfortable with wearing makeup?" he said, " _Honestly._ "

Grell pouted but didn't argue- he guessed that she'd seen this coming- standing up and going to their bedroom, coming back with his own costume. He sighed as she handed it to him, not wanting to change at this time of night. Putting it down on the sofa, he started to head towards the kitchen. "Clear all this up while I work on dinner, alright?"

 She did as he asked, packing up her makeup before joining him in the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Hey..."

Will put down the knife he'd been using, letting her rest her head on his neck but still raising an eyebrow. "What's this for?"

"Am I not allowed to show affection towards the man I love?" she asked, "Or do you have a problem with this?"

Will shook his head, cutting up the onions the best he could while Grell was clinging onto him. She nuzzled into the collar of his shirt before kissing the side of his neck, mumbling, "I saw Sebastian on my reap today."

Will froze, stiffening at the sound of the demon's name. "And?" He asked through gritted teeth. 

"Ahh, I just told him about us, William dear," she smiled, "He seemed happy for us."

"Demons aren't capable of happiness," Will put the knife down and sighed, "He was probably relieved that you'll stop hanging off of him so much now."

 Grell didn't reply to this, her hair tickling the side of his face as she leaned closer into him. "I love you," she said softly, "So much."

"Mhm..."

"You're not going to say anything to that?"

"Mhm."

Grell pulled away and smiled, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she turned to leave. "As cold as ever," she observed, "Tell me when dinner's ready, darling, I'm going to bathe."

 

When Grell re-emerged from the bathroom Will had just finished making dinner. She sat down at the table in one of his shirts and- shit was that his underwear too? He glared at her as she entered the room but she didn't seem to notice, smiling at him like there was nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing was said for a few moments; Will kept his eyes fixed on his food because he knew that she was probably doing this to piss him off. When the silence was finally broken, it was Grell who spoke, curling a strand of her hair around her finger. "William," she practically sang his name, leaning over the table and flashing him a grin, "Are you going to be busy after dinner?"

Will nodded, answering, "I'm going to shower," he told her, "then I'm going to bed. Why?"

She ran a hand through her crimson hair, looking up at him through her lashes. "Oh? And what are we planning on doing in that bed, may I ask?"

It took Will a few moments to work out exactly what she was implying, and when he did his eyes widened a little. He adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat before saying, "Sleeping." He watched as her sly smirk fell into a pout and he laughed softly, standing up to clear his plate into the kitchen. "Don't give me that face," he said, "You and I both know that I don't do well when I'm being pressured to-"

Grell stood up as well now, her pout turning to a frown. "Wait, you think I'm pressuring you?"

"Into sex. Yes."

She walked up to him, taking the plate from his hands and placing it on the table. "God, William, you know I wouldn't ever pressure you into sex- or anything for that matter," she cupped his face in her hands, gently rubbing her thumb over the stubble that ran accross his jawline, "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, I promise."

He took her hand and gently pressed a kiss to her palm, smiling down at her. "I know you didn't," he told her, "Now let's finish cleaning up and get to bed, okay?"

"Of course, darling," Grell said softly, "Whatever you want."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> k but if i wrote a fic of a rarepair who would read it


	14. Chapter 14

 

When Will arrived at work on the morning of Halloween, he noticed that a group of reapers had already got there and were starting on decorating the building. He quickly told them to not go anyway near his office before starting on his work for the day. To say that he wasn't nervous for that night would be a lie; he hated social events enough already, but this would be the first time that he and Grell would  risk being open about their relationship. What if this ruined his reputation? What if people didn't take him seriously if they found out he was dating Grell? After all, he'd spent the last hundred years pushing her away and he hadn't exactly been quiet about it. He put his pen down and rubbed his temple before looking up at the clock, sighing when he realised that he still a while to go until his lunch break. Today would be a very long day.

While time passed at a miserably slow rate that day, when Grell came into his office at six so they could walk home together he was feeling pretty nervous. She didn't once mention the party tonight, probably realising that he'd be nervous about it. Unlike the dinner party she had hosted earlier in the year, Will would not be in the comfort of his own home where he could just slip into the kitchen opr bathroom if things were getting too much. He would also be in full costume the entire night which was just plain  _embarrassing;_ honestly, how did Grell even talk him into this in the first place? While the two of them walked home she kept a strong grip on his hand, almost as if he was about to run away. He tensed when she squeezed his fingers, shooting her a glare which she spotted and laughed at. "There's really nothing to be worried about, dear," she told him, "I promise."

He nodded as she went into their bedroom, finding their costumes and bringing them out, smiling as she handed it to him. "I hope this fits, I just measured the clothes in your closet." Will took it and kissed her forehead before going into the bathroom and getting into the shower. Once he was finished he changed into the costume Grell had made, fiddling nervously with the edge of his sleeve. It would be impossible to be inconspicuous in this- a long blue robe with green organza layers over it and gold embellishments wasn't exactly... Well, normal. When he came out of the bathroom Grell was also changed, sat in front of the mirror doing her makeup. He stood in the doorway and watched her for a few moments before clearing his throat, making her look up at him.

She smiled at him, standing up and brushing off her own dress. "Hello, handsome," she said, perhaps flirtier than she'd intended (though this was Grell, Will thought, and she spent more time flirting with him than doing anything else), "You're looking as dashing as ever tonight."

Will rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses. "I look ridiculous," he stated, "And I'm really not comfortable leaving the house in this." Grell's smile disappeared at this and she took his hand in hers, gently running her thumb over his knuckles. 

"I'll be there with you, darling," she said, "There's really nothing to worry about. Everyone makes a fool of themselves at these parties and we all get so drunk that nobody remembers them anyway."

"But  _I'll_  remember them, Grell," Will was starting to get agitated now, Grell could tell by the way he refused to make eye contact with her and did his best to pull his hands out of her grasp, "You know I'm not a heavy drinker, I'm going have to come to work the next day knowing that everybody's seen me in this!" Grell tightened her grip on his hands as she realised he was shaking. He twisted his hands in an attempt to get her to let go, galring dfown at her. "Grell, what are you-"

"I'm trying to help you get over yourself!"

"Get over my- What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Will raised his voice, pulling his hands away from her as she loosened her grip, "I don't need your bloody help, Sutcliff! Maybe if you hadn't have forced me into going I wouldn't be in this situations at all!"

 

Grell didn't come up with anything to say back to him. She didn't even reply. She inhaled shakily,feeling a lump rise in her throat. She'd gotten used to him being cold and frigid over the years, but this nevwer happened. He never yelled. He never cursed at her. He was always calm in his annoyance, angry yet somehow still composed. Not only this but he hadn't called her by her surname outside of work for months now, and the sudden shift in behaviour... well, let's just say that she wasn't expecting anything like this. She turned around, blinking back tears before mumbling, "Change."

There was a short silence, before Will sighed and spoke. "Grell?"

"I said change," she snapped, "I'm sorry that it's not good enough for you."

"Oh come on, I wasn't-"

"You've made your point, William," Grell turned back round to face him, her mascara starting to run down her face, "If you don't want to wear it then change. I don't want to fight you over this."

Will didn't answer her, sighing and stepping away from her to give her some space. It was only then that it dawned on him: they'd just had their first argument. It was inevitable, he realised, no relationship was without flaw and theirs was no exception. But still, he wasn't expecting it to happen this early on. He pursed his lips, hesitating a little then gently resting a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry," he said, "I shouldn't have yelled." Grell looked up at him, nodding slowly before bursting into tears, burying her face into his chest as she sobbed. He sighed, wrapping his arms around her and running his fingers through her hair. "It's okay," he told her, "We both overreacted a bit."

 

She sniffed, laughing a little against him. "A bit?" she asked, pulling away and smiling a little as he wiped the tears that ran down her face with his thumb. He laughed softly, kissing her forehead and letting her go.

"I'm going to change. Finish getting ready," he told her, "I don't want to be late to a bloody Halloween party, of all things."

-

They ended up being some of the first people to arrive in the end. William recognised most of them as much lower-down reapers, most of which he'd only spoken to when they were giving in paperwork. He didn't speak to any of them, staying in one corner as more people arrived and watching as Grell went about greeting people and making small talk as if it were the easiest thing in the world. He knew that most people weren't looking at him and it put him at ease, observing but not taking part in anyone's conversations- that was until Grell spotted him.

She was very much the life of the party. Those who knew her found her funny and entertaining and those who didn't were drawn to her home-made costume and general enthusiasm for halloween. When she saw him trying to avoid everybody she frowned and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his and smiling. "Not having fun dear?"

 

"Not at all," he admitted, swallowing before trying to change the subject, "I see Knox has already found a woman to.. prey on."

"Oh, don't put it like that, William," Grell said, slowly pulling him, into the crowd, "That boy knows when he's been rejected, it's really not a problem. Besides, what matters right now isn't what he's doing, it's what you're doing."

"But I wasn't doing anything."

"Exactly!" Grell intertwined her fingers in his and he looked uncomfortably down at his feet when he realised she was trying to get him to approach a relatively large group of people, "There's absolutely no point in going to a party if you're going to stand in a corner doing nothing." Will would've argued with her but before he could she'd dragged him into a crowd of people and was starting to talk with them once again. He held her hand tightly, more than a little embarrassed by his current situation. There was a reason he didn't go to work gatherings and this was exactly it. The sooner he got out the-

"Mr Spears?"

He was distracted from his thoughts by a fmailiar voice and he turnbed, a little relieved when he saw Alan Humphries standing before him, only for this relief to completely disappear when Eric Slingby joined him, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Good evening," he managed to say, wishing that Grell wasn't so deep in conversation with someone else so that she would just come and  _bloody save him._

"Wasn' expectin' you ta show up, Spears," Eric said, his arm around Alan seeming more protective than he guessed he would've liked, "And what the hell aren't ya in costume?"

Will clenched his fists by his side, looking over at Grell and glaring at her. When she spotted him all she did was laugh and turn the other way. The two reapers beside him noticed this and laughed, only earning an eye roll from Will.

"Wait... Are you and Sutcliff together?" Humphries asked, "Like, together together?"

He quickly looked over at Grell who now seemed to be watching him, almost to see what he'd say. He couldn't tell what she wanted him to tell them. She could easily be wanting to keep their relationship private for just a little longer. There was a fifty-fifty chance of whether he got this right, so he figured that the best thing for him to do was to just tell the truth. "If by that you mean are we in a relationship," he finally answered, "Then yes, Sutcliff and I are 'together'."

 

There was a short silence, and for a moment he'd wondered if he'd somehow said something wrong. Then, Eric let out a laugh and Alan scowled as he ruffled his hair and said, "I fuckin' called it. That's three shillings you owe me, babe."

Alan glared at him at this; whether it was annoyance at the money or being called babe he couldn't tell. He was about to ask when he realised- they'd fucking better on his relationship with Grell. Before he could say a word though, Eric had picked up a glass of what looked like wine (but he really couldn't be a hundred percent sure when it had apparently been brought in by Slingby) and handed it to him. "Ya look like ya need a drink, Spears," he said, patting his shoulder before leaving with one arm wrapped firmly around Alan. 

Will took a sip of the red liquid; it was definitely wine, though there was something a lot stronger in there with it. He drank it down as quickly as he could before discarding the glass, making his way through the crowd to Grell. If this was what was being served, something told him that the night wasn't going to end well.

 

-

 

Within a few hours, Will was pretty sure that he was one of the only sober people left in the entire building. He'd been standing on the edge of a group of people who were all admiring Grell's costume (a few had tried to admire his but he'd made it clear that they could look with their eyes, not with their hands) when there had been a yell and a clatter from the other side of the room. He turned, sighing in annoyance when he saw Ronald tackled to the ground by a very drunk looking Eric, with Alan trying his best to separate them and the entire party sorrounding them cheering them on. He looked at Grell as she took his hand, laughing to herself as they watched from afar.

"Does this happen every year?" He asked, to which she nodded.

"Last year Eric went after a kid in Personnel after he'd told him that banging girls in a broom cupboard was gross," she told him, "And the year before that he tried to beat me. He didn't."

 

The two of them watched the fight unfold for a while before Will felt one of Grell's hands snake around his waist. "William, dear," she said softly, "I'm bored..."

"Me too," he said, suddenly tensing when she pulled him closer against her.

"Want to do something fun, darling?" 

Will raised an eyebrow, frowning. "Like what?"

Grell laughed softly, facing him and kissing his lips gently. "You'll see, dear." She grabbed him firmly by the wrist and lead him away from the main party and towards his office. Will did his best to avoid lookinh at the people scattered around the corridor; a few couples making against the wall and out and several bodies laying passed out on the floor. "Does that always happen?" He asked, to which Grell just laughed, opening the door to his office and shoving him inside. He stared at her, adjusting his glasses and sighing in frustration. "Grell, what on earth are you doing?"

 

Grell didn't answer, locking the door before grabbing his tie, pulling him forward and kissing him. He reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her and playing with the ends of her hair. She prodded his bottom lip with her tongue, he hands sliding down his body and coming to rest on his hips. It was then that he pulled away, wiping the lipstick that stained his face as he looked at her with wide eyes.

"I take that when you said 'fun'," he said slowly, "You meant sexual, yes?"

"Indeed," Grell leaned in closer to him and he swallowed, doing all he could to avoid eye contact, "Do you have a problem with it?" she asked.

"Well..."

"Oh my God..." Grell interrupted him and pulled away, pursing her lips before gently saying, "You do... experience sexual attraction, don't you?" Will nodded, sitting down on his desk and looking down as she joined him. "Are you... celibate?" Will shook his head and she sighed in annoyance. "So you're just... not ready for sex?"

"Well..."

"Well what, William?" Grell crossed her arms, raising her voice a little, "You can't just get off on me every bloody evening and then reject me whenever I try to initiate anything! What's wrong, are you scared? Are you not willing to properly give yourself to me?"

 

Will didn't answer for a few moments, trying to ignore her glaring angrily at him. Finally, he slipped his hands inside his blazer pockets and said, "I want to, I really do but... It wasn't good. When Knox and I... you know..." His voice trailed off and Grell looked at him worriedly.

"William dear, did he...?"

"Goodness no," he let out a dry laugh, before sighing, "But I hated every second of it." There was silence. Grell took his hand in hers, gently running a thumb over his knuckles as he looked past her shoulder out of the window. She couldn't exactly relate to his problem (her first time had been surprisingly good) but she could understand where he was coming from. William was a cold, stubborn man, traits which would lead to him not having sex and therefore not learning from his mistakes. Grell weighed out her options- her attempts to seduce him were futile and yet he had  clearly stated that he wanted intimacy of some kind. She stayed silent for a while, hesitating before saying gently, "William?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever engaged in oral sex?"

"No, why?"

"Well, if you did want to..." She rested her head on his shoulder and placed a hand on his thigh, "Get closer to me, we could always just start with that."

 

William pursed his lips in thought, not reprimanding her as her hand slowly slid further up his thigh. After a few moments, he turned to face her, a small smile playing on his lips. "Promise me it won't go any further than that?"

"Promise." Grell smiled, standing up and pulling him off his desk, cupping his face in her hands and pressing her lips to his. He rested a hand on the back on her neck, placing the other on her hip and letting her push him back against the wall. His eyes widened a little, not used to this kind of dominance as she pulled at his shirt, undoing it and pulling his collar away from his neck, kissing him roughly. He inhaled sharply as her sharp teeth scraped over his skin, his grip on her dress tightening. She pressed her hips forward against his, tongue flciking gently over his skin as she slowly started to grind into him. 

"Shit, Grell..." William bit down hard on his bottom lip to try and avoid doing anything... embarrassing, really, but that became a little too damn hard when she pulled away and dropped to her knees, staring up at him micheivously. "Ready, dear?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K so i'm gonna do a part two of this chapter which continues with the smut- i just find it kinda unfair for people who arent into that to let it all in one chapter. That'll be up some time in the next week!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aghhh i suck at smut

"William?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever engaged in oral sex?"

"No, why?"

"Well, if you did want to..." She rested her head on his shoulder and placed a hand on his thigh, "Get closer to me, we could always just start with that."

 

William pursed his lips in thought, not reprimanding her as her hand slowly slid further up his thigh. After a few moments, he turned to face her, a small smile playing on his lips. "Promise me it won't go any further than that?"

"Promise." Grell smiled, standing up and pulling him off his desk, cupping his face in her hands and pressing her lips to his. He rested a hand on the back on her neck, placing the other on her hip and letting her push him back against the wall. Her tongue slid between his lips and he let out a soft noise of surprise, the sensation of her exploring his mouth like that somehow one of the most enticing, erotic things he'd ever experienced. His eyes widened a little, not used to this kind of dominance as she pulled at his shirt, undoing it and pulling his collar away from his neck, kissing him there roughly. He inhaled sharply as her sharp teeth scraped over his skin, his grip on her dress tightening. She pressed her hips forward against his, tongue flciking gently over his skin as she slowly started to grind into him. 

"Shit, Grell..." William bit down hard on his bottom lip to try and avoid doing anything... embarrassing, really, but that became a little too damn hard when she pulled away and dropped to her knees, staring up at him micheivously. "Ready, dear?"

 

William nodded, allowing her to unbuckle his belt and pull his trousers down. He looked away, suddenly very, very aware of the fact that they were in his office and that half of his subordinates were just down the corridor and-

He was separated from his thoughts as Grell took his length into her mouth. He let a moan leave his lips, one hand tangling in her hair and the other flying over his mouth to muffle the noises he was making. Shit, this was embarrassing- but there was no way he was going to get her to stop. She had to have done this plenty of times before- she was damn good with her mouth, knew exactly what to do with her tongue to make him gasp her name. She bobbed her head a little, slowly taking him further and further into her mouth until his cock was hitting the back of her throat. He pulled on the hair in his fist, eliciting a moan from the woman beneath him, which sent vibrations around him and waves of pleasure through his body. Something told him that if he wasn't careful he wasn't going to last very long at all. He let out another groan of pleasure as he thrust his hips into her once more, the gagging sound leaving her mouth too indecent for words. God, he could listen to these obscene noises all fucking night. 

"Fuck..." He hissed, pulling at her hair so that she was looking directly at him. Her eyes were wide, sparkling with fake innocence, her ruby lipstick smudged on her face. He cursed again, not sure how long her was going to be able to last now that he had _that_  staring up at him. 

He could feel a tightening inside of him and something told him that holding back would be damn near impossible soon. He gave another firm tug on her hair allowing a whimper to escape his lips as Grell hummed around him again, and he looked down to see her playing with herself under the ruffles of her dress.

 

For William, that was it. He screwed his eyes shut, lips parted as he moaned her name, tearing through his orgasm and releasing in her mouth. Grell pulled away moments later, smirking up at him and  _shit, did she just swallow his cum? Why the hell was that so hot?_

He quickly pulled his boxers and trousers back up, blushing at the fact that he'd just recieved a goddamn blowjob in his own office. Grell laughed softly at his embarrassment (which only made him go more red) and rested a hand on his chest, leaning in and kissing him softly. Her lips tasted weird but he melted into the kiss anyway, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist. "That was... really good..." he mumbled.

"I've had plenty of practice," she shrugged, playing with the ends of his hair as she did, "You seemed to be having a lot of fun, darling."

At this, William rolled his eyes playfully and started to make his way towards the door.

"I was," he admitted, taking her hand, "Now what do you say we head home. I'm tired as hell."

 

Grell took the ruffles of her skirt in her hand and gave him a curtsey. "It would be my honour, William, dear," she said qwith a slight smirk, leaning into him as they made their way through the party and out of the dispatch building into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> k so if you read my grellthello oneshot Something New, you'll know this already, but the chapter after this will be the last. don't worry, it'll be a lot longer than this- more fluff and more smut. Love and loubatins will be orphaned/deleted soon so ... idk that's a thing.
> 
> My next fics won't be grelliam- i have grell/nina planned, grellthello planned and a little ronilliam. I also wanna do some ddadds because why the fuck not.


	16. Chapter 16

Grell had always looked forward to William's birthday, even before they'd started dating. It was the only thing she enjoyed about the month of November. Like Will himself, it was cold and often rather miserable- however unlike him there was no charm of lovableness to it. 

Every year she would buy him a present- last year she had just recieved a pay rise and she'd bought him a rather expensive set of shower and bath products. The year before had been a pair of silver cufflinks, which she often saw him wear to work. This year, however, she wanted it to be special. She wanted it to be more than just a physical gift. Naturally, the first thing her mind to was sex, but just that wouldn't be enough- besides, he'd made it clear at Halloween that he wasn't ready to go much further than third base. Then she thought, what did Will love more than anything? There really wasn't much on the list, and as far as she could tell that list consisted purely of her, time off work and having enough money. He was very strange in that sense, but it was rather adorable listening to him ramble on about paying his mortgage. With the way that headquarters was paying her, there was no way she could give him-

Wait.

Time off work.

 

That was perfect, but there was no way in hell she'd be able to get him the day off work unless she wrote to headquarters, which was something only Dispatch Supervisors did. Was that a sign that she should let it go immediately? Probably, but Grell had never been one to give in without a fight. When she found herself with spare time, she wrote a quick letter requesting time off for herself, before going to Will's office with a grin.

"William, dear-"

"Grell, is all that noise necessary?" Will glared at her as she slammed open the door, looking up from his paperwork. She rolled her eyes, sitting down on his desk and crossing one leg over the other, handing him the letter.

"I'd like to request a day off," she told him, to which he raised an eyebrow and smiled to himself.

"This is the third time this month," he said, "What could you possibly be doing that requires more time off?"

Well shit, she wasn't just going to tell him. She gave playful roll of her eyes, she slid off the desk into his lap, resting her hands on his chest. "That's a secret, Mr Spears." Before he could argue with him, she kissed his lips, before shoving the paper into his hands. "Come on, just sign it."

Will sighed, picking up his pen and scrawling his signature at the bottom of the letter. "This is the last time I'm doing this for you," he said, "Now get out out of my office."

 

Grell rolled her eyes, standing up and going to leave. "Love you too, William," she smiled, before making her way out of his office and down the corridor.

That part of her plan that was legal was now out of the way, she could get started on the slightly more dubious part. It wasn't much, just a bit a forgery- besides, she'd done far worse in the past. The most this could result in would be a short suspension.

 

When the rest of the dispatch had gone home, she told Will that she'd be doing overtime (which he raised an eyebrow at but didn't question) before sitting down at a typewriter and getting started on her second letter. She spent more time on it than she'd initially planned, making sure the letter sounded as lifeless as possible- after all, it had to fool headquarters into thinking it was from Will. Once she'd finished, she let the ink dry while she practiced writing his signature. She then picked up a pen, scribbled it at the bottom of the letter and folded it in half, placing it an envelope. 

Grell looked up at the clock- five to six. Perfect. William would be just about to leave so she could hand him the letter to send to headquarters without worrying about him opening it.

 

When she got to his office he was putting his coat on. She smiled at him as innocently as she could (as if she hadn't just been breaking about five different rules all at once) and said, "William, dear, are you leaving?"

"No, I'm just putting my coat on and locking up my office because I want to." He answered, and Grell was ashamed to admit that it took a few moments to realise that he was being sarcastic.

She sighed, handing him the envelope. "Give this to headquarters as soon as you can, will you?" She said, before looking out the window and frowning. The sky had turned dark and rain was hammering against the window- "Don't you just hate the weather at this time of year?"

Will nodded as he put the letter away, not looking at it once as he got out his umbrella and started to make his way out of the building. 

As they entered the rain he put it up, and she stood close to him, linking her arm with his. She tightened her grip around his arm, pressing as close to him as possible to avoid getting wet. He glared at her but didn't shove her out of the way so she figured that he was fine with it. The rain got much heavier as they walked, and Grell couldn't help but groan as water splashed around her heels.

"What are you complaining for?" William asked with a raised brow.

"My feet are getting wet."

"And?"

"And they're cold, I could fall ill," she huffed, wrinkling her nose, "It's nasty." Will chuckled softly, shaking his head as she rested her head on his shoulder and sped up a little.

When they arrived home Grell showered immediately to warm up, and Will went in straight after to do the same. Their jackets were hung up over the backs of chairs to dry and their clothes put in the laundry basket as soon as possible. When Will finished in the bathroom he changed into his pyjamas before going to check up on Grell. She'd started on dinner in the kitchen and like him wore her nightclothes- though in her case this was just one of his shirts slung over her shoulders accompanied by a pair of underwear. He smiled, standing beside her and leaning on the counter. 

 

"Considering you were just complaining about how cold you were, you're not wearing very much now," he said, to which Grell rolled her eyes, giving him a playful shove.

"I'd rather be chilly and look good then walk around in something like that," she countered, gesturing to his grey pyjama shirt and bottoms, "You look so dull, William."

"They're made for sleeping in, they're not meant to be fashionable," he watched as she put whatever she was making in the oven before pressing herself closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He laughed softly as she groaned and nuzzled into him, burying her face in his neck. "I'm tired," she complained, "And I'm cold and damp and-"

"Go to bed," William told her, pulling her away from him, "I'll tell you when dinner's ready, yeah?"

She nodded, yawning and rubbing her eyes as the trudged into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

 

This gave William time to think back- this time almost a year ago he would never have been this kind or this polite to her. Was he going to say that love had changed him? Of course not, even if that was the case. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

aaaaaand this is all i've got. 

i said it in the notes of the last chapter, but i don't ship grelliam anymore. oh, and thise other kuro fics i said were gonna be a thing???? they're not. i'm planning more vld and more ddadds and no kuro from now on. but if ya wanted to know what happens at the end of this chapter, they fuck. thats it lmao youre not missing much. 

 

thank you for reading and i'm so sorry i didn't give y'all the ending you deserved. i still appreciate every view, kudo and comment that's been left here and i have my fingers crossed that maybe a few of you will continue reading :))

once again, thank you guys for everything.


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